


Roping the Wind

by SaucyWench



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: AU - Fili is not related, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Western, Angst, Brief mention of Past Abuse, Drinking, Injury, M/M, No Incest, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-06
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-01-14 20:39:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 103,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1278208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaucyWench/pseuds/SaucyWench
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fili is a cowboy who just wants to be able to find a place he can call home and people he can call his family.  When he stumbles across what seems like the perfect job, will he be able to let his past go, or will it ruin everything?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One More Last Chance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FuryNZ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuryNZ/gifts).



> This story is a gift for FuryNZ. It probably wouldn't exist without her encouragement, and her anecdote about fences. She tossed out the idea, and I picked up the ball and ran with it. 
> 
> The story is set on a working ranch in the wild west era in America. I've taken some liberties with timelines and factual events. Of course the whole thing is a work of fiction, so please forgive me if I get some of the dates on things a bit wonky. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading.

Fili was starving. He had eaten the last of his food a few days ago. His canteen was only about half full, but at least he had some water. Yesterday he found a mesquite tree, and while it tasted horrible and he didn’t have a way to cook it, he was able to eat some of the leaves. He was keeping a watchful eye out for a rabbit, quail, snake, or anything at all that he might be able to bring down with his pistol.

Yesterday he had come across a wild boar, but there was no way he could have taken it down cleanly without a rifle. The last thing he needed was to get gored by an angry javelina. Or worse, have his horse get injured. They normally were not too aggressive towards humans if you left them alone, but any cornered or injured animal can become dangerous. Even if it didn’t turn on him, he didn’t feel right about injuring it then following, waiting for it to bleed out and collapse, while it suffered.

At least there was enough scrub brush and grasses for Pete, his horse, to eat. He had a scant handful of oats at the bottom of one of his saddlebags for the horse, but it was starting to look like he might wind up having to eat that himself if his luck didn’t change.

He had come across a few vaqueros, Mexican cowboys, four days ago on the trail. They told him to keep heading east, and he would find a few ranches and a small town soon. He took the advice, but was starting to wonder if they had played a trick on him. Still, it was either go east and have a little hope, or head west into the desert with no supplies. Since that was tantamount to suicide, he chose to go east. He had to come across something eventually.

Pete started picking up his gait. Fili reined him back down to a walk, but when they crested the top of the hill, he saw why the horse was suddenly eager. There was a small spring close to the trail, and it had grass and a few cattails growing around it and there was even one small tree. He let Pete break into a trot again until they reached the water.

Fili slid down out of the saddle and let Pete get his drink. He filled his canteen, and started digging around the cattail roots. He found a few small shoots he was able to eat right away. Using his knife, he dug up some of the larger plants, trimming away the tough stalk. He kept the brown top of the plant, knowing it might come in handy to help get a fire started, and could be used as an absorbent in a pinch. He dampened his old bandana, and wrapped the bulbous roots in it after he trimmed them and washed the mud away. After about half an hour, he had enough for a meal. It wasn’t the best, but it would keep him from starving for another day or two. He’d save them and roast them tonight if he wasn’t able to find anything else.

After sticking them in his saddlebag, making sure to keep the wet rag away from the oats, he washed up as best as he could. He rinsed his hair out, and was able to plait it back to keep it out of his face. He didn’t have a mirror, so he could only imagine how bad he looked. The pain across his back reminded him every time he moved. One of his back teeth was a little loose, and he hoped he didn’t wind up losing it. Every time he looked at his scraped and split knuckles, he remembered that at least he had tried to defend himself. It didn’t do a lot of good, considering it was seven men against him, but he had tried. It had been a few days since then, so maybe the bruises were fading by now.

With a sigh, he reminded himself to count his blessings. He had his horse, his pistols and knives, and his tools. He may have been beaten and whipped, but at least he was alive, and he would heal. He’d find another job, make a little money, and move on. He was just glad they didn’t decide to hang him.

Honestly, the whole mess was his fault. He should have known better. Spending the night here and there with a cowboy who was just passing through was one thing. Carrying on with the cook’s son was something else entirely. He couldn’t believe he had been so stupid.

One of the first things a cowboy learned was not to anger the cook. The cook was usually second in command, only behind the ranch foreman or trail boss. He made sure everyone got their fair share of food at mealtimes, and had access to coffee and drinking water. The cook also acted as barber, dentist, and medic, plus advisor to the boss. When the cook had a chance he would help cowboys write a letter to a sweetheart or their family back home, since most cowboys were illiterate.

So why did Fili take the chance of being with Cookie’s son? He was lonely. It was as simple as that. They were both about the same age, they could both read, and they started spending time together. When the other man started bedding down beside Fili when they were out on the prairie, he said it was so they could take turns reading to each other. When they got back to the bunkhouse and had more opportunity to find privacy, one thing led to another. It was nice to have someone. It was flattering to feel wanted. Fili had been alone for a long time. It felt good to have someone to care about and have someone care about him.

They had been sneaking around for a few weeks when they were caught quite literally with their pants down. Of course Cookie refused to think that his son might have been a willing participant. He accused Fili of forcing his son, and he didn’t listen to anything either of them had to say about it. Fili was dragged out, beaten, tied to a tree, and whipped. Once they untied him, they told him he had until sundown to be gone. They said if they caught him again they were going to brand him.

Of course, he wasn’t given any of the back pay he was owed. He only had the canteen and the small amount of food his lover had been able to sneak out to him while he was saddling Pete. In tears, the man had apologized, gave him the meager supplies and a note, and then ran off before someone saw him. Fili hadn’t read the note yet. He didn’t have the heart for it. He left it stuffed in the bottom of the saddlebag.  

He went and stood under the small tree, trying to get out of the sun. Fili didn’t bother tethering or hobbling Pete. He had trained that horse himself so one whistle and Pete would come running. He was better behaved than most dogs. Fili was one of the best horse wranglers around, and a farrier too. He knew enough blacksmithing to be able to make his own horseshoes, and do minor work like repairing tools if he had access to a forge and materials. He could gentle a horse and break it to the saddle without having to use fear or beatings like most wranglers did. A horse that obeyed out of love and respect was better than one that had its spirit beaten out of it. He was good at his job, and he knew it. Unfortunately, some people looked at him, and saw a young man, a little shorter than average, blonde hair streaked almost white from the sun, looking even younger than he actually was, and dismissed him on looks alone. Farriers were rare enough, however, that most people were willing to give him a chance.

At least it seemed like his vaquero guides hadn’t lied. He saw a ranch house a little way in the distance. From here, it looked like a large spread. He could see what obviously had to be the main house, a smokehouse set a way off, two barns, a few corrals, and several smaller buildings. What he was most glad to see was a paddock. If they had a paddock for horses, then maybe he could at least earn a little money doing farrier work.

Who was he trying to fool, he thought with a sigh. At this point, he’d be happy to earn a meal. Even if they didn’t have any work for him to do, maybe he could at least beg a little bread or something. He wasn’t going to last too much longer with no provisions and no money.

Looking past the sprawling ranch, he could see the town in the distance. The vaqueros had said it was called Dale. It wasn’t large by any standards, but still a respectable sized town. It looked like there was at least one saloon, a general store, a carpenter’s shop, and a few smaller buildings along the main street. He couldn’t tell what they were at this distance. Farther out, he saw several dog trot homes and a building that looked like it held a blacksmith’s forge.

Well, standing here staring wasn’t getting him any closer. He clucked his tongue at Pete, and swung up into the saddle. He winced as the motion caused his back to hurt, and sitting in the saddle was no pleasure. He hoped he didn’t start bleeding again. It couldn’t be helped, though.

As he got nearer, he was able to see the buildings on the ranch a bit better. They all looked to be in good repair. He noticed a rather large vegetable garden to one side, and smaller gardens scattered around here and there. He didn’t see a typical bunkhouse, which was basically a long one room building with cots inside, like most ranches had for their hired hands to live in. There were several small cabins set around, though. There was also a forge set away from the other buildings. It wasn’t enclosed, but had a roof over it to keep it out of the sun. He judged that it would be more than adequate for what he needed, if he was given a chance to use it. He saw a large chicken coop, fenced in to keep the hens from wandering off and hopefully keep predators out. There was a large pond with a few geese hanging around it, and Fili wondered if it might be a stocked tank. Not too far in the distance, he saw a lot of trees that were too evenly spaced in rows to be growing wild, so he figured there was an orchard of some sort. He couldn’t identify what kind from here, however. All in all, it looked like a self-sufficient, prosperous ranch.

He was suddenly self-conscious about how he looked. He knew his clothes were filthy, but he had been unable to grab most of his belongings from the bunkhouse when he was thrown out from his last job so they were all he had. He didn’t even have a hat. His boots were run down, and his pants had holes in the knees and other places. He dusted himself off as best as he could, wishing he had taken the time to rinse his clothes out at the spring while he washed up. Well, there was nothing to be done about it now. He’d seen plenty of trail hands look a lot worse. At least his face was clean. And if he smelled like horse, so be it. That was a part of the job.

When he got close enough to be heard, he called out, “Hullo, the house!” It was always a good idea to give warning that you were there, and not a threat or trying to sneak around. He made sure his hands were in sight on the reins of his horse, and nowhere near his guns.

At first, the only greeting he got was from one of the fattest dogs Fili had ever seen. It came waddling down the steps of the wrap around porch, wagging its tail. It gave a couple of barks, then apparently decided it had discharged its duties, and ambled back up the steps into the shade.

A man came striding up from around the side of the house, waving at Fili. The man was huge and bald on the top of his head. He made up for it with the long beard he wore, and long hair in the back. When he got a little closer, Fili noticed he had tattoos in several places, including the top of his head.

“Hey there! This is a surprise. I wasn’t expecting someone out here so soon. I only sent word out about the job opening a few days ago. I’m Dwalin Farinson,” the man said, extending his hand.

Fili reached down and shook his hand, noticing how the other man’s hand seemed like a giant paw compared to his own. Oh well, it wasn’t the first time he had been shorter. He swung down off his horse, dropping the reins to the ground so Pete would know not to wander away.

“I’m Fili Vestrin, nice to meet you. And sorry to disappoint you, but I hadn’t heard anything about a job. I was passing by and hoping you might have some chores I could do to earn a meal.”

Dwalin didn’t seem to be listening to Fili. Instead, he was focused on what tools he could see poking out of a saddlebag.

“Is that a rasp?” he asked. “And a shoeing hammer?”

A little amused, Fili answered him, “Yes sir. I’m a farrier and a horse wrangler.”

That got Dwalin’s attention. After looking Fili up and down, he asked, “You break horses? You seem a little on the small side for that.”

“I prefer to say I gentle them, and I don’t need to be big for that. When I’m done, you can put your grandmother on a horse without worry, if that’s what you want. I also train stock horses.” Fili gestured to Pete. “Mine can do any job I need from him, and he’s smarter than half the trail hands I’ve met.”

Dwalin barked out a laugh, saying, “That isn’t saying much.”

The front door to the main house burst open, and a small man with copper curls hurried out, wiping his hands on a cloth. “Dwalin? Did I hear… oh!” He pulled up short, and then walked over to Fili with a smile. “I knew I heard Mungo bark. Hello! I’m Bilbo Baggins.”

Dwalin explained, “This is Fili Vestrin. He’s here about the wrangling job.”

Bilbo’s face lit up, and he said, “Once Dwalin shows you around, you’ll have to join us for supper, Mister Vestrin. It will be ready in a couple of hours.”

Fili was starting to feel a little caught up in all this, but he certainly wasn’t going to turn down a free meal. “Thank you, sir, I’d be honored. Please just call me Fili, though.”

Bilbo went back in the house, and Dwalin gestured for Fili to follow him. As they walked, the big man said, “I’d like to get your opinion on a few things first. Would you mind looking at one of our mares?”

It went without saying that Dwalin wanted to know if Fili was telling the truth about knowing horses. Fili wasn’t too worried about it. He whistled, and Pete came trotting up. Fili paused to wrap the loose reins around the saddle horn so Pete wouldn’t step on them, but didn’t bother to lead him. Pete just followed along behind the men.

Dwalin took note of this, but didn’t say anything. Fili clucked at Pete and told him to stay, and saw Dwalin raise his eyebrows at that. The large man led the way to a stall with a small roan mare in it.

Fili opened the door to the stall, and could tell with one glance that she was favoring her front hoof, holding it up and not putting any weight on it. He glanced around and while the stall wasn’t as bad as some he had seen, it was obvious it hadn’t been cleaned in a couple of days. He leaned out of the stall, grabbing the bridle which was hanging on the wall, and slipping it on her. Talking soothingly, and walking slowly, he led the mare out of the stall.

Once he got her out in the daylight so he could see a little better, he tied her off to a post. Still keeping up a soothing stream of nonsense to keep the mare calm, he looked at her legs, finally lifting up the hoof she was favoring. It was exactly as he suspected. She had a case of thrush. Letting the mare put her leg back down, he turned to Dwalin.

“The first thing you need to do is muck out that stall. Get that old straw out of there. She needs dry bedding, and the stall needs to be kept clean. Her hoof isn’t too bad yet, but it needs to be taken care of immediately. I need some lye and vinegar if you have it. Plus a bucket of clean water.” Fili turned to get his tools out of his saddlebag, suddenly all business, not even stopping to think that he was giving orders to the man who was potentially offering him a job.

By the time he had gotten his tools out of his bag, Dwalin had gathered everything he had requested. Fili noted two more men had shown up to watch what he was doing. One was a small auburn haired man who was sticking close to Dwalin. The other was a man that was almost as tall as Dwalin, with long black hair pulled back and fastened in a clasp, who was watching with a frown. Fili decided to ignore the newcomers until after he had taken care of the mare’s hoof.

Carefully lifting her tender hoof, he used the lye and a stiff brush to clean out the affected area, and then rinsed it off with the water, repeating the process several times until it was as clean as he could possibly get it. He finished by rinsing the area with vinegar, making sure it got into every nook and cranny.

After he was done, he quickly cleaned her other hooves, checking for signs of thrush or other sicknesses. They all looked fine, but he rinsed them with the vinegar anyway.

Leaving the mare tethered to the post, he explained to Dwalin, “The thrush hadn’t set in too bad yet, but you need to keep an eye on it. The reason she got thrush is because her stall needs to be kept clean and dry. If it isn’t, she’ll get worse, until she won’t even be able to walk at all. You’ll need to clean that hoof twice a day, and rinse it with a vinegar solution when you are done. Keep up with it and she should be fine in a week or so. The most important thing is to keep it dry.”

Dwalin and the tall man exchanged a look, and then the stranger abruptly told Fili, “Follow me.”

Dwalin nodded at Fili, so he followed behind the man. He couldn’t help but notice the silver streaks in the man’s hair, and the strong shoulders, cutting down to a narrow waist. His admiration of the view was interrupted when the man came to a halt in front of a corral.

The man gestured to the only horse in the corral, and said, “What do you think of this horse?”

Fili’s first thought was that the horse was beautiful. It was a stallion the color of butter, with a mane a few shades darker. When he looked a little closer, however, he saw that the horse was watching Dwalin and the other tall man carefully even though the men were not doing anything threatening. The smaller man was hiding behind Dwalin like he was afraid.

Still watching the horse, Fili started walking away from the other men. The horse gave him a glance, but most of its attention was still on the taller men. Once Fili got to an angle where he could see the horse from the side, he was dismayed and a little angry. It was obvious that this was a captured mustang from the scars – bite marks, gouges, and scrapes from battles with other stallions. However, it was just as obvious that someone had tried to break the strong animal brutally from the scars left from spurs and whips.

Keeping a close eye on the horse, Fili stepped closer to the fence. The horse didn’t seem to be paying him any attention, but Fili could see the way his ears swiveled, and the quick glance. Oh yeah, that big guy knew exactly where each one of the humans around him was. It was also obvious that the horse had no love or trust for people. After seeing the scars, Fili could understand why.

Fili waited a minute, and then stepped up on to the bottom rung of the corral.

Dwalin took a step towards Fili, hand outstretched, calling, “Be careful, lad!”

At the same time, the horse spun on his hind legs, throwing his head up, pawing at the ground. He was challenging Fili, almost daring the man to step into the corral, no doubt about it.

Fili held a hand out to Dwalin, gesturing for the big man to be still, and stayed on the fence, waiting to see what the horse would do. When the horse pawed at the ground again, laying his ears back, Fili stepped up a rung higher, putting his head at a height above the stallion. When the horse became more agitated, he stepped down, and backed away from the fence slowly, trying not to get the horse any more aggravated than it already was.  

He slowly walked back to the other men, trying to get his thoughts organized so he didn’t just snap at them. He hated to see animals mistreated, and someone had not been kind to that one.

When Fili got closer, Dwalin asked him, “So what do you think?”

“What I think is that you have a beautiful horse, and someone ruined him by mistreating him.” Okay, trying to hold his tongue wasn’t working. Still, he didn’t want to work for people who thought that was an appropriate way to treat a horse. “He’s covered in scars from spurs and whips, he has no trust for anything with two legs, and it would take a miracle to even get close enough to try and get a halter on him. Someone tried to beat him into submission, it didn’t work, and now he is almost useless. All you’ve managed to do is teach him to mistrust and hate humans.”

The man with the long hair asked, “If it were your horse, what would you do with him?”

Fili thought for a second, but then answered, “I’d turn him loose.”

“Why not geld him and see if it helps his temperament?” The man sounded genuinely curious.

“Look at him.” Fili started pointing out scars on the butter colored hide. “He’s obviously had his own herd of mares, and he’s fought to keep them. He’s still young, strong and fast. He’s smart, too. If you let him go, he can go back to his herd or get another. He’d breed with them, and only strengthen the stock. In a year or two, you’d have another whole generation of strong young mustangs from him. If you geld him, you won’t be able to break him to a saddle or plow now because he’s too hostile. You’d end up having to put him down.”

Dwalin and the man exchanged a quick glance, and then he stuck out his hand. “I’m Thorin Oakley. This is my ranch, the Arkenstone. And I fired the idiot that mistreated the horse, which means I need a horse wrangler for captured mustangs and also for the stock we breed. Is that something you can do?”

With a smile, Fili shook the extended hand told him, “I can gentle a horse to be ridden, train them to pull a wagon or plow, and teach them to work stock. I don’t beat them into submission to get them to do it, either.”

“He’s also a farrier,” Dwalin interjected.

Thorin gave Fili an appraising look, and told him, “Why don’t you join us for supper? After we eat, we can talk it over and see if we can come to terms.”

Fili quickly agreed, and was told to follow Dwalin so they could wash up.

“Do you want to put your horse in the paddock?” Dwalin asked Fili.

“No need, but do you mind if I set the tack on the porch so he can relax a bit?”

Dwalin gave Fili a curious look, but told him to go ahead.

Fili let out a loud whistle, and after a moment, Pete came trotting up. Fili got the saddle off and slung it over a bench, along with the saddlebags and blankets, until Pete had nothing on him but a halter. Holding the halter, Fili bumped heads with the horse, and told him to stay close.

The petite auburn haired man watched all of this, wide eyed. “You talk to him like he understands you. That’s amazing! Where did he learn that?”

Fili shrugged and said, “I taught him. We understand each other.”

He expected to be handed a bucket and pointed to the hand pump to clean up. Instead, he was taken to an actual bath house. It was small, and they didn’t have time to heat water for a proper bath. Still, Fili was able to actually wash his hair with real soap, and get cleaner than he had felt in a long time. He was hesitant to take off his shirt in front of Dwalin, since he didn’t want to have to answer questions about the whip marks and bruises. Dwalin seemed to notice his reluctance, however, and just told him that he’d wait outside.

When he emerged, cleaner and feeling so much better, the small auburn haired man was still there talking to Dwalin. Judging by the way they looked at each other, Fili figured they were possibly more than friends. He coughed so the two men wouldn’t be taken by surprise, but they made no move to step away from each other, or gave any sign of embarrassment.

Seeing Fili, the smaller man said, “You’ll have to explain to me how you got your horse to learn all that. Forgive my manners though. I am Orinofres Delgado. Please just call me Ori.”

Dwalin led the way to the main house, and Ori walked beside Fili, chattering and asking questions the entire time. Fili answered a few, until Dwalin told the small man, “Give the poor man a break! I’m sure you’ll get a chance to talk with him at dinner, Ori.”

Soon, Fili found himself seated at the table in the main house. He had offered to help Bilbo in the kitchen but was shooed out and told to just sit and wait. While Bilbo was carrying platters of food to the table, Thorin introduced Fili to the others. Thorin sat at the head of the table, and to one side was Balin Farinson, Dwalin’s older brother who was in charge of livestock records, paperwork, and payroll. Beside Balin sat Ori, who was Balin’s assistant, as far as Fili could tell. Dwalin sat at the other end of the table. On Thorin’s other side was Bilbo, and Fili was sitting beside him. On Fili’s other side was Kili Dyson, who was introduced simply as Thorin’s nephew.

Fili could see the family resemblance. They looked similar, but seemed as different in temperament as night and day. While Thorin always seemed to be serious, or on the verge of a frown, Kili was easy going and laughing. More than once, Fili would look up to see Kili looking at him. Blushing, he turned back to his meal. The man was attractive, but if he was actually going to work here, the last thing he wanted was a repeat of what had happened with his last job. If he got whipped for being with a cook’s son, he didn’t want to think what might happen if he got caught with the owner’s nephew.

After dinner, Fili was invited to join Dwalin and Thorin for a drink on the porch so they could discuss business.

Thorin explained, “We breed some horses here, but we get the majority from rounding up mustangs. Sometimes we trade with the Indians, too. If you stay on, your main job will be to train the horses, break them to a saddle, and get them ready to sell. Also help out if we need you elsewhere, like during a roundup or if something happens. You’ll get a room in one of the cabins, three meals a day, feed for your horse, and stabling too. You’ll have Sundays off, and most Saturdays. At the end of each week on Friday you’ll get your wages. I don’t care how you spend your free time, but if you show up to work drunk, you’re fired. Mistreat the animals under your care, and you’re fired. Any questions?”

“A couple, yeah,” Fili said. “The first thing that needs to be done is a thorough cleaning of the stables. They are in pretty bad shape. I’m not going to be able to keep all the stalls in the barns mucked out and have any time to do anything else, so I need a stable hand. Also, some of the railings in the corrals need repairs. If you can spare someone to help, that would be great. I’ll need access to one of the corrals to gentle the horses, and while I have a horse in training, no one else is to enter that corral unless I am there and invite them in, period. That goes for everyone, including you, Mister Oakley. I’ll also need to be able to use your forge so I can shoe the ones that need it. I need to look over the tack you have, and see what you have that can be used. From what I saw, a lot of it is in need of repair or replacing. Also, can I use the forge on my days off if I pay for the fuel and use my own materials? If there isn’t another farrier around, people are probably going to want me to shoe their horses. I’d be doing it on my own time, of course.”

Thorin thought for a minute, and then proposed, “If I let you do it one day a week, and I provide fuel and the raw materials, how about a 65/35 split? Say on Tuesdays? That way you can still have your days off to rest. We don’t have a farrier anywhere near, so I imagine you’ll be in demand once people find out you are here.”

Frowning, Fili told him, “I think I deserve more than a 35 percent cut if I am going to be doing all the work.”

Arching an eyebrow at the blonde, Thorin said, “I agree. I meant 65/35 in your favor.”

Nonplussed, Fili said, “Oh. Um, well, that sounds fair. But if I am training a horse, I probably won’t be able to do it every week until they are calm enough so they don’t need attention every day. So if someone needs my services, we’ll need to set up a time. That goes for any of your buddies that might happen to just be stopping by with a string of horses that need to be shod while they are visiting.”

“Fair enough. I have one more question, though. I don’t want the sheriff showing up on my doorstep looking for you. Are you in trouble with the law?” Thorin asked. “I’m asking because you seem to be travelling light, with basically nothing except your horse and a few tools. Plus you look like you might have gotten in a bit of a disagreement with someone, judging by that black eye you have.”

Fili couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I’m not a criminal. I just got involved with the wrong person on my last job, and had to leave in a hurry.”

Dwalin laughed and nudged Thorin with his elbow. “We’ve had our share of black eyes like that before. We sowed our fair share of wild oats when we were young too, eh, Thorin?”

Thorin reddened, and changed the subject back to work.

There was a little more bickering back and forth over wages and duties, but finally the men came to an agreement and shook hands. Thorin said that Dwalin would show him to his quarters, and bid the men goodnight.

Dwalin led the way to a large cabin, and knocked on the door. A man with a large mustache and larger hat opened the door.

“Bofur Kumple, meet Fili Vestrin. He’s your new bunkmate. Show him around, will you?” With a wave farewell, Dwalin was off.

Bofur gave Fili a welcoming grin, and ushered him into the cabin. “The cabin isn’t what you were expecting, I imagine?” Bofur asked. When Fili agreed, he continued, “There isn’t a communal bunkhouse here. We have cabins we share instead. We each get a private room most of the time. Sometimes we have to share at roundup season or if there is a party. It’s better than being stuck in a room full of a dozen other men snoring, I can tell you that!”

With a smile, Fili agreed, and followed the other man into a room that held a bed, a chest for storage, and a rack on one wall to hang things like coats and hats.

“This will be your room. Bilbo cooks our meals so we all usually eat together at the main house, but you are welcome to use the stove here if you want to make a snack or something. You and I share the common room here, and a lot of the time the other fellas stop by to visit in the evenings. Do you need some help carrying your stuff?”

Fili was embarrassed to admit that he didn’t even have a change of clothes, so he said, “I don’t have much to worry about. I just need to get my tools and tack.”

Bofur insisted on helping anyway, so they got Fili’s few possessions into his room. Bofur even found a saddle rack that would fit in one corner so the saddle wouldn’t be distorted by having to rest on the floor.

After carrying in his meager belongings, Fili got Pete settled into one of the corrals. He didn’t want to put his horse in with the other horses yet, and he certainly wasn’t going to stick him in one of the dirty stalls. He spent a little time brushing down the horse, making sure he had water, and giving him the last handful of oats from the bottom of the saddlebag. Not only did this soothe Pete, it helped settle Fili’s nerves too.

When he got back to the cabin, he found Kili sitting on the tiny porch, talking with Bofur.

“Hey!” Kili called, jumping to his feet. “Bilbo sent this out as a welcoming present.” He held out a covered basket to Fili.

Fili gave his thanks, and peered inside. It looked like an assortment of cookies, half a cake, a loaf of bread, and two jars of jam. “That’s a lot of food. Are you sure he meant it just for me?”

Bofur teased, “Well, if you don’t think you can handle it, I’ll be happy to take it off your hands.”

“Hush, Bo,” Kili waved his hands dismissively. To Fili, he added, “You’ll find that Bilbo thinks we should all eat more. He believes a well fed ranch hand is a happy ranch hand, and he will stuff you until you can hardly walk if you let him.”

Fili thought back to his last job, where beans and a biscuit were the majority of meals. “I agree with him. I know I’ll be happy with it, anyway.”

Kili laughed, and Fili couldn’t help but notice the line of his jaw, or the way the corners of his eyes crinkled up. He reminded himself that this was the nephew of the boss and he didn’t need any complications. He wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize this job, especially since he had just gotten hired.

“Well, I won’t keep you up too late since I imagine you are tired. I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow thought, right?” Kili asked.

“Sure,” Fili agreed.

Kili reached out and tucked a stray lock of Fili’s hair back behind his ear. “Sweet dreams,” he said, and then walked away.

Fili watched him go, and reminded himself again that this was the owner’s nephew. No good could come of even thinking about him. He would just have to do his best to avoid being around Kili. Fili completely missed the speculative look Bofur gave him.

He sat on the porch with Bofur, and offered to share some of the treats in his welcoming basket. They chatted for a while, talking about nothing important. Bofur was easy to talk to, and didn’t pry into Fili’s past. Finally Fili excused himself to go to bed.

He didn’t have anything to sleep in, and didn’t want to get into a clean bed with his dirty clothes, so he stripped bare. He cleaned up as best as he could with a rag and the basin of water in his room and then slid into bed. He stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking over the events of the day. He wasn’t quite sure how he managed to wind up with a job that would pay on top of giving him room and board when all he had hoped for was a simple meal. So far everyone he had met seemed nice enough, even if some of them were a little on the gruff side. He knew that right now his new employers would be keeping an eye on him, but he was confident that he’d be able to handle the job. And no matter what he kept telling himself about not needing any complications, his last thought before he fell asleep was of light brown eyes the color of honey, a sweet smile, and unruly brown hair.

***

Kili tried to quietly sneak back into the house, but no such luck. Bilbo was waiting for him beside the door, frowning with his arms crossed.

“Next time, I’d appreciate it if you said something before you decide to steal almost every cookie in the house,” Bilbo scolded. “And you took my strawberry jam!”

Looking chagrined, Kili told him, “Sorry, Bilbo. It wasn’t for me, though. I gave them to Fili. Did you see how thin he is?”

Unable to stay angry, Bilbo sat down at the table and sighed. “Of course I noticed. He practically inhaled dinner like he expected someone to take it from him. It makes me wonder where he was before he came here. I also noticed the bruises. He didn’t get all those from being thrown off a horse.”

Leaning against the counter, Kili said, “I wonder if that’s why he doesn’t even own a change of clothes.”

“How do you know he doesn’t have clothes?” Bilbo asked.

Having the grace to at least look a little embarrassed, Kili admitted, “I snooped a little while they were all washing up before dinner. I didn’t dig around, so don’t look at me like that. His bags were just lying there open, so I peeked.”

“Then first things first,” Bilbo decided. “Tomorrow we’ll need to find him some clothes.”

With a sigh, Kili said, “He needs a hat, too. Seems a shame, because that hair is gorgeous.”

Swatting at Kili with a dishcloth, Bilbo told him, “Don’t start making calf eyes at the new guy. At least let him settle in first.“

“It never hurts to look,” Kili told him with an unrepentant grin.


	2. Working Man Blues

The next morning, Fili was awake well before dawn. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep, so he grabbed a couple of cookies from the basket Kili had given him, and headed out to check on Pete.

He sat on the top rail of the corral, and scratched Pete behind the ear. After a moment, he gave a cookie to the horse, and then munched on one too.

“Well, fella, what do you think so far? Mind sticking around for a bit?” Fili laughed when Pete nuzzled at his hand, looking for another treat. “Sorry, I only brought you one. I’ll have your breakfast in a bit, though.” Pete huffed, and went to the trough to get a drink.

“That horse acts like he understands you,” a voice said from behind him.

Glancing back, Fili saw Bofur standing there watching.

“We’ve been together a long time,” Fili said with a smile. “We understand each other.”

“Coffee is already made back at the main house, and Bilbo should have breakfast on the table soon,” Bofur told him. “You ready to go grab some food?”

“Let me feed Pete first.” Fili got his horse fed and made sure he had water in the trough. Then he followed Bofur back to the house.

While they were eating, Fili was told that Bofur would be showing him around and helping decide what needed tending first. Ori was going to follow too, making a list of supplies and materials they would need to pick up on the next trip to town.

Kili said, “I can show Fili around if Bofur has other things he needs to do.”

“No. I need you to come with Dwalin and me to repair that stretch of fence down by the creek,” Thorin said. Kili got a mutinous look, but kept his mouth shut.

After he finished eating, Fili took his plate to the kitchen to wash up. Bilbo was already there, however, and offered to take the plate. When Fili reached out to hand it to him, Bilbo made a tsk noise.

“You have a seam splitting on your shirt. Take it off and I’ll sew it up real quick,” Bilbo said, turning to rummage in a basket for a needle and thread.

“Oh, no, that’s not necessary,” Fili stammered. He did not want to take his shirt off and have to explain his back. The bruises could possibly be passed off as a part of his job, but there would be no mistaking the whip marks as anything else.

“Nonsense, it won’t take but a minute,” Bilbo said. Finding the thread he wanted, he made a triumphant noise, then turned to Fili, waiting.

Fili started to back towards the door, saying, “It will just get ripped again anyway, probably. I can fix it later.” His retreat was cut off when he backed into Kili, who had just walked in.

“Kili, go get Fili one of your shirts so he can leave that one with me,” Bilbo instructed.

“No, really, it’s fine,” Fili tried to edge around Kili and escape.

Kili grabbed the blonde’s arm, and pulled him out of the kitchen. “Just let him mend the shirt. Trust me, it’s easier to go along with it than argue. He won’t let it go once he gets his mind set on something. Let’s see if I have a shirt that will fit you.”

Kili led the way out to his small cabin and ushered Fili inside. He started digging around in a chest of drawers until he found a blue shirt. Handing it to Fili, he said, “It’s too short on me, but it might fit you.”

Holding the shirt, Fili felt foolish trying to come up with a reason not to change in front of the other man. He couldn’t think of anything, so he did his best to make sure his back was to the corner, and took off his shirt, putting the other one on as quickly as he could.

Of course Kili noticed the bruises across Fili’s chest and stomach. Fili had the other shirt on so fast he didn’t have a chance to say anything about them, though. When he saw his shirt on Fili, all other thoughts flew from his mind.

The blonde may have been shorter, but he was a little wider through the shoulders. The shirt only accented the broad shoulders and muscular arms. The faded blue made his eyes look even brighter and went well with his hair. And seeing Fili in that shirt, _his_ shirt, made Kili’s mouth go dry.

Fili glanced up and caught Kili staring at him. Self-consciously, he tugged the shirt down, which only made it look more snug across his chest. “Is something wrong?” he asked.

Wordlessly, Kili shook his head, and then seemed to get ahold of himself. “It looks better on you than it ever did on me. You should keep it.”

“Thanks, but I’ll give it back as soon as Bilbo finishes with mine,” Fili said with a frown. He didn’t want to start his new job by accepting charity. He certainly wasn’t going to accept it from the boss’s attractive nephew.

Kili opened his mouth to say something, but they heard Bilbo calling for Fili. Fili took the opportunity and escaped. He saw Bilbo, Ori, and Bofur on the porch of the main house, waiting on him. Kili trailed along behind him.

He handed his torn shirt to Bilbo, and told him, “Thank you for offering to mend it. If you can’t, don’t worry about it. I know it’s seen better days. Is there a tailor in town? I’ll need to get some more clothes once I get paid.”

“My brother is the tailor. If you want, he’ll probably have some things already made you can get, and you can pay for them whenever you can,” Ori offered. “We’ll have to go to town tomorrow for supplies anyway.”

Fili made a non-committal noise, wondering why these people were all being so nice to someone they didn’t even know. Well, maybe it was because he was new here. Once they got used to him being around, it would probably stop.

While he was thinking about it, he told Bilbo, “I wanted to thank you for the basket of food, too. Those were some of the best oatmeal cookies I’ve ever had. Pete appreciated them too.”

“You fed my cookies to your horse?” Bilbo had an expression on his face like he didn’t know if he should be amused or offended.

With a grin, Fili tried to mollify the smaller man. “Pete only got one. I liked them too much to share too many with him.”

Laughing, Bilbo assured Fili, “Next time we’ll include something for Pete too, so you won’t have to share your goodies.” With a smile and a wave, Bilbo disappeared back into the house.

“I’d better go find Thorin and Dwalin before they come hunting me down,” Kili said, bidding the other men farewell and heading to one of the barns.

Knocking the ash out of his pipe and making sure it was extinguished, Bofur asked Fili, “Well, since I am supposed to be helping you inspect things, where do you want to start?”

“Let’s go check out the stables, and look at that mare’s hoof while we are there.”

***

Fili was glad to see that Chari’s hoof was already starting to look a little better. He showed Bofur how to clean it out and rinse it with the vinegar solution. He offered to show Ori too, but the smaller man stayed on the other side of the fence, away from the horse.

Blushing, Ori confessed, “I’m a little afraid of horses.”

Laughing, Bofur added, “He’s also scared of cows, pigs, goats, chickens, and geese.”

Fili saw Ori duck his head down and blush even harder. He knew what it felt like to be picked on and ridiculed, so he said, “I can’t blame him too much. Haven’t you ever been around a goose before? Or a rooster? They are vicious and they bite. I avoid them whenever I can.”

Ori looked at Fili with a grateful smile on his face. “It seems like every time I get near a horse, they try to kick me.”

“Yep, they’ll do that. There’s a little trick though. Watch,” Fili told Ori. Fili walked around Chari, keeping one hand on her all the time. Ori’s eyes got wide when he stood behind the horse, but he completed his circuit around the animal without mishap. “See how I always have one hand on her? That tells her where I am. She would kick if something came up behind her and surprised her. With my hand on her, she knows it’s me and she doesn’t have to be afraid. Don’t just walk up behind a horse because it might startle them.”

After they got Chari cleaned up, they fed her, and Fili inspected the stables. With every stall they passed, his face got grimmer, and he got even more quiet than normal. When they finished the walk through, the men went back outside, and Fili stood by Chari.

After a few moments to think, Fili asked, “Who is in charge of the stables and the horses?”

“It was the man you are replacing,” Bofur answered.

“Did he actually do any work, or did he just sleep all day? These stables are in pitiful shape. I’m surprised every horse on the property isn’t sick,” Fili huffed. “The entire place needs to be mucked out and cleaned. The drainage system is clogged and will need to be dug out again. Several boards need to be replaced on the building, and a lot of the stalls need repairs too.”

Ori was taking notes while Fili was listing all of this, so Fili stopped for a moment to allow him to catch up. Once Ori was done writing, Fili told him, “If you have something else you need to be doing, I can write all this down and give you detailed notes later. You don’t have to follow us all day.”

Bofur and Ori looked at him in surprise. “You can read?” Bofur asked, with a hint of envy in his voice. Fili nodded.

Ori looked chagrined, but said, “Thorin asked me to go along and keep notes for you, so you’re stuck with me today. I’ll let him know you can do it yourself though, if you would rather not have me tagging along.”

“It isn’t that at all, Ori,” Fili tried to reassure the smaller man. “I just thought you’d have something more important to do than listen to me make lists.”

With a small smile, Ori told him, “I don’t mind at all.”

So, the three of them continued looking around, seeing what needed to be fixed or replaced, making lists of supplies they would need to get from town, and taking inventory of what could be salvaged or put to use for another purpose. Sadly, there wasn’t a very long list of things that were still useful. A lot of things had been neglected. At least there were not many horses there right now. They would have to get everything back in good condition before they brought any more in, however.

They had barely gotten finished with the stables when the bell rang for lunch. The three men washed up quickly, and headed to the main house. When Thorin asked how things looked so far, Fili let Ori do most of the talking.

Understandably, Thorin looked less than pleased to hear that most of the stalls had rotting wood, or that the leather tack had been neglected to the point where it was useless. He rubbed at his temples like he was getting a headache, but just asked them to finish inspecting as much as they could before dinner that evening.

Bilbo told Fili, “I was able to mend and wash your shirt. It should be dry by dinner tonight.”

After thanking Bilbo, Fili told Kili, “That means you can have your shirt back later. I’ll wash it out for you first, of course.”

“Why don’t you just keep it?” Kili asked him. When Fili started to protest, Kili pointed out, “It won’t fit anyone else here, and it will just sit and go to waste if you don’t take it.”

Unable to find a graceful way to refuse, Fili wound up just agreeing, and thanking Kili.

After lunch, while Fili was waiting on Ori to finish talking to Dwalin, Bilbo came outside carrying something wrapped in a cloth.

“Oh good,” Bilbo said, “I’m glad I caught you. This is for you, for later. In case you want a snack or something.”

Unfolding a corner of the cloth, Fili saw several biscuits inside. Some had thick slices of ham in them, some had butter and drizzles of honey, and some looked to be plain.

“Thank you, but we just had a nice lunch. I don’t think I’ll need this,” Fili tried to hand the bundle back, but Bilbo refused to take it.

“You never know,” the curly haired man said with a smile. “You might want a snack later on.” Ignoring anything else Fili might try to say about it, Bilbo turned and went back inside.

Bofur laughed at the confused expression on Fili’s face. “You might as well just take it and quit trying to argue with him, lad,” Bofur advised. “You look half starved, and Bilbo won’t be happy until you get a little meat on your bones. Where were you working before? Didn’t they feed you?”

Fili felt his face burn as it reddened. No, he thought to himself, they beat me half to death and threw me out with no supplies, and I probably would have died if it hadn’t been for my horse. He didn’t say this out loud, of course, but something must have shown on his face.

Suddenly serious, Bofur told him, “Forgive me if I hit a nerve there, lad. I was just teasing, but sometimes I speak before I think. I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, and there is nothing to forgive,” Fili said brusquely. “Here comes Ori. Ready to get back to work?”

Bofur started to say something else, but Fili walked away before he could. Fili told them he wanted to inspect the barn and silos where the grain and hay were kept, and started heading in that direction, not waiting for the other men to catch up.

A few hours later, all three of them were covered in chaff, dirt, manure, and no telling what else. They rinsed off a little in one of the watering troughs, and Ori went to go find Thorin and Dwalin.  

Fili sighed, and offered Bofur one of the biscuits, taking one for himself while he was at it.

“Why so glum?” Bofur asked around a mouthful of ham.

“People tend to shoot the messenger,” Fili told him. “I’ve been on the job for a day now, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news already.”

Bofur grinned, and said, “I doubt Thorin is going to shoot you over some bad grain.”

“Yeah, but he still might fire me.” Fili could see them walking this way now. Ori had found Thorin, and Dwalin and Kili were coming too. Great. He’d have an audience. Oh well, it couldn’t be helped. He got to his feet and dusted off a little.

Bofur stood too, and quietly said, “Thorin’s a fair man. This isn’t your fault. He’ll keep that in mind.”

Fili hoped Bofur was right. He didn’t have time to say anything else though, because the other men were within earshot.

“Ori tells me you need to show me something,” Thorin said without preamble.

Fili nodded, and led the men into the barn. “You need to see this. Someone’s been improperly stacking your hay, and hasn’t been turning it.” He took a pitchfork, and tugged a large amount of hay from the bottom of the tall pile. He flipped it over, and it was black and rotting. He pulled out another fork full, and tossed it on to the ground. When it broke apart, bugs scattered everywhere. They could all hear the noises of small animals scurrying around in the hay.

“From the looks of it, this hay hasn’t been rotated in months. This mold will spread, and if you feed it to your livestock it will make them sick. It might possibly even kill some of them.” Fili saw Dwalin and Thorin exchange a grim look, but he wasn’t finished yet. He gestured for the men to follow him outside to the silo.

The silo was small, as far as silos went. It was short enough that men could load it from the top if they were standing on a wagon or ladder. It tapered down at the bottom, and had a lever to open and close the small gate so that grain could be poured out into a bag, or bucket. There was a door set into one side of the silo for people to be able to enter it to clean it out, or break loose any clogs.

Fili opened that side door, and used the pitchfork to point out the buildup stuck to the inside walls of the silo. It had to be almost two feet thick.

“I don’t know when the last time this was cleaned, but it needs to be done before you put anything else in the silo,” Fili told them. He knocked a chuck off of the wall, and showed it to them. There was mildew growing on the grain, and parts of the grain were soft and soggy. It smelled like it had started to ferment, too. “You don’t want your animals eating this either.”

Thorin and Dwalin were looking at the chunk of grain, and Bofur was watching them. So only Fili saw when Ori stepped into the door of the silo.

“Ori, no!” Fili shouted, and lunged after him. He grabbed the back of Ori’s shirt, and jerked him out of the silo, accidentally tripping him and knocking him to the ground. He bent down to try to help Ori back up, but the next thing Fili knew, he was being spun around by Dwain’s grip on his arm.

“I think you best explain why you felt the need to throw Ori down,” Dwalin growled, giving Fili a shake.

Fili jerked his arm away from the big man, and asked him, “Have you ever seen what happens to someone if they are caught in a silo when the grain collapses?” All of the men said no, so he continued, “Well I have. When the grain is wet and mildewed like that, it weighs more than normal. So if you get caught in a collapse, you are lucky if it crushes you to death immediately. If you are unlucky, you smother under the weight, or suffocate from the dust and mildew that gets stirred up. I’ve even seen men that were dug out alive, but they still slowly smothered from all the stuff that got caught in their lungs.”

Fili offered his hand to Ori, and helped him up. “I’m sorry for knocking you down, and apologize if I startled you. Don’t ever go into a silo, though, no matter how safe you think it is, okay?”

All the men looked soberly at Fili until Kili asked, “You saw it happen to someone?” Fili nodded, and Kili asked, “Who?”

“A friend,” Fili answered in a tone of voice that said he was done with the subject.

Dwalin gave Ori a hug, then told Fili, “Sorry for snapping at you like that.”

Fili just shrugged, and then turned the conversation back to business.

***

That evening, after dinner, Fili was talking to Thorin and Dwalin on the porch while they all enjoyed a smoke.

“Ori wrote down all the exact details, but I can tell you the first thing that needs to be done is to clear out the silo and the rotting hay,” Fili explained. “That stuff is dangerous to the livestock and unhealthy for humans too. Then make the repairs needed, and you can restock your grain and feed.”

Thorin asked him, “If the silo is dangerous, how are we supposed to get it cleared out?”

“I’ll do it,” Fili told him. “I’ll need at least two other men to help, but I’m going to be the one inside the silo.”

“Are you saying it isn’t dangerous for you?” Dwalin scoffed.

“Oh no, it’s just as dangerous as it is for anyone else. The difference is that I know what to expect, and I am smaller and lighter than most of you. One of the men helping me is going to have the job of holding a rope that’s tied to me. If it collapses, he gets to yank me out before I die.” Fili grinned and said, “Well, that’s the plan, anyway.”

“That’s not much of a plan,” Thorin said.

“If you have a better one, I’m all ears,” Fili said. “I think the only people smaller than me are Ori and Bilbo. And I’m not willing to stick either one of them in that silo. Bilbo’s the cook, and Ori wouldn’t know what to do. So that leaves me,” he shrugged.

They decided that Thorin, Dwalin, Bofur and Kili would all help Fili tomorrow. They would start on the silo, and hopefully get it all done in one day. Meanwhile, Balin and Ori would work out how much grain and hay they would have to purchase. The trip to town would be postponed for a day or two.

After sitting for a few minutes in silence, Fili asked, “How did this place get in such bad shape?” When he saw the dour look on Thorin’s face, he said, “I don’t mean to pry. It just seems like it was neglected for a long time. You don’t strike me as the type to let his ranch fall down around his ears.”

“I wasn’t here,” Thorin answered. “I had to go take care of some business back east. No one was here except for one man who was supposed to keep an eye on things. Instead he stole almost anything he could get his hands on. He tried to blame it on outlaws, but I found out the truth from a neighbor. I couldn’t prove anything, so the sheriff was no help. I ran him off, but now I have to rebuild almost from scratch.”

Thorin ran his hands over his face tiredly. Dwalin reached over and clapped the man on the back. Thorin gave Dwalin a small smile, and said, “At least now I have friends and family here to help.”

“We’ll have it back in shape in no time,” Dwalin assured the other man.

Extinguishing his pipe, Fili rose and told them, “If we plan on working on the silo tomorrow, I’d better turn in.” They bid each other good night, and Fili headed to his cabin.

When he reached his room, he stopped in surprise. His washed and mended shirt was on his bed. Next to it was a small pile of clothes. Frowning, he looked at them, seeing three pairs of pants, four shirts, and an assortment of things like bandanas and socks.

A knock on the cabin door distracted him. When he opened it, Kili was standing there smiling and holding two covered plates.

“Bilbo made a cake. I thought we could have some as a snack before bed,” Kili said, holding out a plate.

Fili made no move to reach for it. “Did you put the clothes in my room?”

Kili’s smile started to fade at the tone of Fili’s voice. “Yeah. Is there a problem with them?”

“The problem is I don’t want your charity,” Fili snapped as he spun around, heading to his room. “You can take them back.”

“It isn’t charity!” Kili followed him into the room. “It’s just stuff that doesn’t fit me right. I hoped it would fit you. Otherwise they will just go to waste.”

“I can buy my own clothes.” Fili grabbed the shirts and tried to hand them to Kili. Kili’s hands were still full of cake, though.

Kili told him, “I know you can buy your own clothes once you get a chance to go to town. In the meantime, keep these. Wear them, use them as rags, put them on your horse, I don’t care.”

“Put them on my horse?” Fili couldn’t help but laugh. “Pete might look fetching in the grey one.” He told himself to quit being a stubborn, prideful fool. He needed clothes, so he should shut up and be grateful. “You’re right. Thank you.”

Kili’s smile returned and he held out the plate again. “Can we eat the cake now?”

They wound up sitting on the tiny porch, eating cake and chatting. Kili tried to get Fili to talk about himself a few times. Fili deftly changed the subject around, and Kili found himself doing most of the talking. Soon, Fili was saying he was going to turn in, since they had a hard day ahead tomorrow. With a smile and a wave, Kili collected the plates and bid Fili goodnight.

Back in his room, he looked at the pile of clothes again and sighed. He reminded himself he didn’t need the complications. Still, it was hard to avoid Kili when the man kept showing up on his doorstep with snacks. He’d just have to think of something.


	3. Country Boy

Fili woke up in a cold sweat, heart pounding, still hearing the screams from his nightmare. It had been a while since he had that particular dream, but he knew why he had it tonight.

When he was asked if he had seen someone die in a silo accident, he had said yes. He didn’t mention that it was his best friend who had died. He didn’t tell them that he had been in the accident. He hadn’t said that it could have just as easily been him. It was sheer luck that he hadn’t died too.

And now he has agreed to get inside the silo today and try to clean it out. He rubbed his hands across his face, wondering what on earth he had been thinking. Then again, what other choice was there? Out of everyone on the ranch, he had the knowledge and experience.

It had only been a few hours, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep now. Moving quietly so he wouldn’t wake Bofur in the next room, he got dressed and slipped out of the cabin.

When he got close to the corral where Pete was, Fili clucked his tongue, and the horse came trotting over to him. With a smile, he gave Pete a couple of Bilbo’s cookies. He figured what the cook didn’t know couldn’t hurt him.

He went to the barn and grabbed a bridle, and came back and slipped it over Pete’s head. He didn’t bother with a saddle. Actually, Fili could have done without the bridle too, since Pete was voice trained. The corral was still close enough to the ranch houses that he was trying not to wake anyone up, though.

He led Pete out of the corral, and easily swung up onto the horse’s back. With a little pressure from his knees, he got Pete headed down the trail. It didn’t take much encouragement. Pete had been cooped up in that corral for a couple of days now. He was just as eager to get out and run as Fili was. Pete kept trying to go faster, and Fili had to rein him back down.

Finally he figured they were far enough away from the house. Fili leaned down close to the horse’s neck, and told him, “Get up, Pete!”

The horse took off like a shot. Fili laughed, and let the horse run enough to burn off some of his energy. It burned off some of Fili’s nervous energy too. It didn’t seem like nearly enough time, but soon he reined Pete back down to a walk, and turned him around back towards the ranch.

During the walk back, Fili compared this job to his last one. At his last job, no one had any friends. If someone thought they could get a dollar by stabbing you in the back, they wouldn’t hesitate. The only friend he had there was the cook’s son, and look at how that turned out. He was expected to work every day, the meals were minimal and bland, and he only got his pay once a month. It was a horrible place full of miserable people.

Here, everyone seemed friendly enough so far. They all ate the same thing, and even Thorin didn’t get special meals. He was told he’d be paid once a week, and that he’d even get a day off. It seemed a little too good to be true.  

He thought about Dwalin and Ori. It could not be more obvious that they were a couple. They shared a cabin, and while they were not too openly demonstrative, they did those small touches and glances that couples shared without thinking about it.

Thorin and Bilbo were much the same way. They were a little harder to read than Dwalin and Ori, but Fili thought they were together. They weren’t trying to hide it, but it seemed like one of them was always busy if he was around. There were fewer chances for flirty touches and heated looks.

No one seemed to mind, or care one way or another. Everyone just seemed to take it all in stride. He thought back to the reactions of his former coworkers when he was discovered in bed with the cook’s son. He knew for a fact that several of them were involved with each other. If it had been anyone else, the reaction would have been different. The cook insisted his son wouldn’t take up willingly with another man, though, and claimed it was forced. If it wasn’t for that, he probably could have just walked away, instead of getting beaten half to death. He didn’t even realize he was hunching over, until he felt the pull of his shirt across his back where the skin was still healing.

He forced himself to sit upright again, and thought of Kili. Maybe he was reading the signals wrong, and Kili was just being friendly because they were close in age. Then he thought of the look on the man’s face when he had changed shirts. There was more to that look than just friendship. And Kili was Thorin’s nephew. He couldn’t even guess how Thorin would react if his nephew took up with a drifter. With a sigh, he put the whole problem out of his mind. He wasn’t ready to deal with that yet.

Dwalin had said something about sending out word that workers were needed. Fili wondered why no one had shown up yet to try and get a job. Maybe some had come by while he was out in the barns, and he just hadn’t seen them. Once the ranch was back in shape and fully operational, they were going to need more help, though. They could use it now to repair the buildings. Thorin had said everything was stolen. Maybe he didn’t have the money yet to start hiring more people.

Fili decided he would wait and see how things worked out here. He hadn’t even really been looking for a job when he found this one. If things got too bad, he could always move on to another job. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He was tired of moving around constantly. One day he’d like to be able to find a place to call home. He knew that it wouldn’t be here. He was only the hired help. Someday, though, he’d have a place of his own. Some place where he would be able to relax, maybe make a life for himself and not be treated like a worthless saddle tramp.

By this time, he and Pete were back at the ranch. He slid off of Pete, and grabbed a curry comb from the barn. He led the horse to an area where he could graze while Fili groomed him. The familiar action was soothing for both the horse and the man.

Fili had finished currying Pete and was brushing out his mane and tail when he heard Ori call out a greeting. He noticed the small man was keeping his distance, and had a watchful eye on Pete.

“Why don’t you come over and introduce yourself?” Fili asked Ori.

“What? You mean to the horse?” Ori’s eyes widened. “He isn’t even tired up! What if he wants to bite me or something?”

“I can promise you that he won’t bite.” Ori still didn’t look too reassured, so Fili said, “Pete likes to meet new people. Don’t you, Pete?” He gave a subtle signal, and Pete threw his head back, looking like he was nodding in agreement.

Ori smiled, asking, “How did you get him to do that?”

“Do what? I’m not sure what you are talking about,” Fili said. “Do you know what he means, Pete?” Another subtle signal and Pete shook his head no. “Pete is a perfect gentleman. Come say hi.”

Ori had a look on his face like he expected something horrible to happen, but he came and stood beside Fili. Pete just stood there, watching both men. When the horse didn’t make any sudden moves, Ori relaxed a little.

“You can touch him, if you like,” Fili showed Ori by patting Pete on the neck.

Ori took a deep breath, and then tentatively laid a hand on Pete’s neck. When nothing happened, he started rubbing the horse, relaxing a bit more. Fili resumed combing out Pete’s mane, allowing Ori to get used to the animal at his own pace.

Fili was still thinking about cleaning out that silo. After a minute, he asked, “Ori, can I ask you for a favor?”

Ori was still distracted by actually petting a horse and enjoying it. “What do you need?”

“If something happens to me, will you turn Pete loose?”

That caught Ori’s attention. “What do you mean?”

“If I die, will you turn Pete loose for me?” Fili saw Ori’s confused look, so explained, “Pete isn’t gelded. He’d be able to go find a few mares and have a family of his own.” Fili was unaware of the wistfulness in his own voice. “I think he’d be happy.”

“Well, you aren’t going to die any time soon, so I don’t think we need to worry about it,” Ori tried to dismiss the idea, obviously uncomfortable.

“Accidents can happen to anyone, Ori,” Fili gently explained. “I’d feel better knowing that someone would let Pete go, instead of maybe being sold to someone who wouldn’t care about him.”

Without looking at Fili, Ori answered, “If you die, I’ll make sure he goes free.”

Fili barely knew the small man, but he trusted him to keep his word. “Thank you.”

***

A few hours later, Fili found himself tying knots in a rope, fashioning a sort of sling around his hips and waist, running between his legs. It wasn’t going to be comfortable, but it was better than the alternative.

“Are you sure about this?” Thorin asked once more.

“I’ve done this before,” Fili told him again. “You and Dwalin just keep a hold on the rope. I’ll let you know when to lower me.”

Bofur and Kili were going to be at the bottom hatch and the door, clearing out the debris as Fili knocked it down. They had strict instructions not to enter the silo, and to just shovel the fallen grain out to one side.

They had already cleared the bottom hatch as far as they could, and cleared out the side door too. Fili climbed the ladder to the top, and looked down to see all four men watching anxiously. He gave them what he hoped was a reassuring smile, and threw open the hatch door on top of the silo.

He felt his stomach knot in dismay. It was even worse than it had looked from the bottom. He took the trowel he had tucked into his back pocket and started chipping away at some of the encrusted grain.   He could see that it had gotten much thicker towards the middle, so the hardened grain was basically in an hourglass shape inside the silo. There was going to be no way to knock it all loose without getting in with it.

He tried knocking more loose, but he could tell that it was just clogging at the narrowest part of the blockage. He was going to have to widen that before he could clear anything.

“There isn’t anything coming out, Fili,” Bofur called.

“I know, give me a minute,” Fili called back. “I’m going to have to climb down, so give me some slack in the rope until I tell you to hold, okay?” He heard Thorin and Dwalin agree, and he started climbing down into the silo.

He tried to stick to the thicker parts of the stuck grain, hoping it wouldn’t dislodge and drop him, or worse, come loose and land on him when he was below it. Finally he got to the narrow opening, and called to the others to take up the slack in the rope and hold it there. He waited until he saw the rope go taut, then started trying to chip away the blockage with the trowel.

After a few minutes, he realized he would be there all day if he kept up that pace. He called out again for the men to hold the rope taut, and stood on one side of the narrow opening. Balancing using the rope and the wall of the silo, he kicked at the other side of the blockage, trying to knock some of it loose.

It worked a little too well. Fili didn’t take into account that the grain closest to the wall was rotting and fermenting, turning soft and slimy. When he kicked the hardened outer casing, it cracked in several places. Most of the grain came tumbling down like a sheet of ice would slide off the roof of a house when warmed by the sun.

Fili threw his arms up to cover his head, but still got pelted by heavy chunks of mildewed grain. He pressed back against the wall trying to avoid the worst of it. When it quit falling, the air was thick with dust. He pulled his bandana up over his nose and mouth, coughing.

“Fili! Are you okay?” Kili’s voice sounded slightly panicked, but Fili couldn’t answer yet.

After coughing a few more times, he called out, “I’m fine! Stay back though, this stuff is nasty. Keep the rope tight.”

He figured half the silo was cleared, so he might as well try for the whole thing. He got a good grip on the rope, and then jumped, kicking at the hardened ledge he had been standing on. It had the desired effect when more of the grain broke loose in a giant sheet. What he had not been expecting was for the rope to get caught on it, jerking him away from the wall and down under the rock hard grain.

He had a moment of falling, then landing on the loosened grain under him. The sheet that had fallen broke apart around him, and he found himself buried almost to his hips. It seemed like forever, but eventually everything quit dropping and shifting, and went silent.

Fili could hear Thorin and Dwalin yelling something, but for the moment he couldn’t answer. He had a vision of his nightmare, of watching his best friend get buried, and that’s all he could think of. With a shaking hand, he wiped sweat away from his eyes.

After a moment, he yelled, “I’m okay! The grain just caught the rope.” He hoped his voice sounded steadier than he felt. He muttered to himself, “This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.”

He was able to push and kick the chunks away and free his legs. Looking up, he was slightly consoled to see his plan had worked. The walls of the silo were clear, more or less. He could probably wait and walk out once the doorway was clear, but he wanted out of that silo now. He called for the others to pull him up.

Once he reached the top, he just sat on the edge of the silo for a moment, enjoying the fresh air. Bofur and Kili were already clearing out the fallen grain, and Thorin and Dwalin were helping to load it into a huge wheelbarrow so they could burn it. When Fili thought his legs were steady enough, he climbed down the ladder. He grabbed a shovel and started helping to load the wheelbarrow.

Thorin clapped him on the back and said, “I think you’ve done enough for now. Why don’t you head back and take a bath?”

Fili started to protest, but Bofur told him, “Thorin’s too polite to say it, but after rolling around in there you smell like a bad batch of moonshine.”

“You aren’t going to smell like a rose yourself by the time you are done,” Fili pointed out.

“You’re right. So while you are at it, you can put water on to heat up for the rest of us,” Bofur grinned.

Fili grumbled a bit, but a bath did sound good. He agreed he would have some water ready, and then headed off to get his bath.

***

That evening, Fili didn’t join the others for supper. He was out by Pete, idly roping a post, playing with his lariat. Ori came and stood beside him, quietly watching.

After a while, Ori said, “Dwalin told me what happened today. About the grain collapsing while you were in the silo. Is that why you asked me to let Pete go?”

Fili nodded wordlessly, and coiled the rope for another throw.

“Who was it?” Ori asked.

Fili knew what he meant. Still coiling the rope, he answered, “My best friend. We were twelve.”

Fili swung the lariat over his head a couple of times, and then released it. He muttered a curse when he missed. He began coiling the rope again, and started talking. “We were cleaning out the inside of a silo that was a little bigger than the one here. The grain was loose, though. Loose grain acts like quicksand. We hit a pocket of air, I guess, and fell through. It buried us both. I was still close enough to the top that I could uncover my head and breathe.”

Fili threw the lasso again, catching the post. With a sharp jerk to the side, he pulled the rope off of the post and started coiling it up again. “He was two feet away from me. When they pulled us out, he was only two feet away. The grain was heavy, and every time I tried to move it would shift. After, they tried to tell me that he probably died quick, and didn’t even know what happened.”

He readied the lasso, but didn’t twirl it. “They weren’t in there. I was. He knew exactly what happened.” He threw the lasso again, catching the post. Another jerk and he started to coil the rope again.

“I’m sorry about your friend,” Ori said. After watching Fili toy with the rope for a bit, he said, “I can’t imagine getting back into a silo after that. Weren’t you scared?”

Fili looked at Ori for the first time since they started talking. “Scared doesn’t have anything to do with it. It had to be done. I could do it, so I did.”

“But you thought you were going to die,” Ori said, sounding like he was trying to understand.

“I played the odds,” Fili told him with a small smile. “My odds were better than any of the rest of you. It was a bit of a gamble, but I won.”

Frowning, Ori asked him, “What if you had lost?”

“Then you would have let Pete go, buried me somewhere, and started looking for a new ranch hand.” Fili couldn’t help but laugh a little at the look Ori was giving him. He reached over and clapped the smaller man on the back. “Don’t look so glum. Everyone dies sooner or later. And men in my line of work usually don’t live to a ripe old age anyway.”

“You just make it sound like we should throw you in the garbage heap or something.” Ori sounded like he was going to cry. “Don’t you have someone we should notify? Your family? Or a friend or someone?”

Fili started swinging the rope again. “Nope. No need to notify anyone. And I guess you could throw me out with the garbage if you felt like it. It isn’t like I’d have much left to say about it.”

“That’s sad, Fili.”

Fili threw the lasso again. “Maybe, but that’s life.”

 

 

 


	4. A Little Less Talk

The next day, it was decided that Balin, Ori, and Kili would take a wagon to town. Fili would be going along, but he chose to ride Pete. He was getting Pete saddled up when Thorin called him aside.

“I know we agreed you’d get paid every Friday, but I figured since you were going to town today, you might need to pick up a few things,” Thorin told him, handing him a stack of bank notes and a couple of coins.

“This is way too much for a week’s pay,” Fili pointed out, trying to hand it back.

Thorin refused to take it, telling him, “It’s a week’s pay plus a bonus for clearing out the silo. I hired you to help with the stock, not clean out the buildings.”

Fili tried to object again, but Dwalin clapped him on the back and told him, “Just take the money, lad. He’s as stubborn as a mule. If you try to argue with him, you’ll both still be standing here come sundown.”

“I am not as stubborn as a mule!” Thorin glared at Dwalin.

Dwalin rolled his eyes and gave a long suffering sigh that made Fili laugh. He thanked Thorin and tucked the money away in a pocket.

They finally got going. Balin was driving the wagon, while Kili and Ori sat in the back, happily talking about the things they would do while they were in town. Fili rode Pete beside the wagon, half listening to Kili babble on. He was saying something about checking the post to see if there was any mail from his mother, and called out to Fili.

“What about you, Fili?” Kili asked, “Do you want to send a letter while we are in town? Where is your family from?”

Instead of answering the question, Fili told him, “You remind me of someone I used to know. I worked with a guy named Clyde for a while. One day we were out checking a fence, and Clyde found a baby raven under a tree. He decided he was going to keep it, so he put it inside his shirt and took it back to the bunkhouse. The rest of us were just waiting for it to die, it was so small.”

He stopped talking to pat Pete’s neck, since the horse was trying to stray off the trail and grab a mouthful of grass.

“Did it die?” Ori asked.

“Nope,” Fili continued. “He named it Bill and it grew into the biggest raven I’ve ever seen. Bill would go out with us, riding on Clyde’s saddle horn like he was king of the road. That bird used to try and grab anything that got his attention. His favorite game was trying to pull the buckles off of a saddle. Did you know ravens can talk?”

Ori and Kili both shook their heads no, caught up in Fili’s story.

With a laugh, Fili told them, “Neither did we. One night we had to stay out, and Clyde kicked out the fire before we bunked down. We were dozing off when we heard someone say ‘It’s dark.’ The thing was, it was _my_ voice! Needless to say, I was a bit startled. I nearly shot that damned bird before we realized what was going on.”

Fili smiled, reminiscing. After a moment, Kili asked, “Did it say anything else?”

“Oh yeah. Once Bill figured out he could talk, he never shut up. He’d sound like me, or Clyde, and could even whinny like Pete. He’d only have to hear someone a couple of times before he could mimic them.” Fili laughed, and then told them, “He was our lucky charm. That bird saved our lives one day.”

“How?” Balin sounded skeptical, but he was caught up in the story now too.

“We were out looking for a herd of mustangs, and a bad storm came in fast. We didn’t have any place to take shelter, so we kept going. Bill flew off to wherever birds go during a storm, but we didn’t worry. He’d find his way home. Meanwhile, we got turned around. When the storm blew over, we started going east, figuring we’d find the trail or something and be able to get home. We found something, alright. A hunting party of Indians, and they were claiming we scared off their game. They said we owed them something for that, and wanted our horses.”

“They wanted Pete?” Ori sounded horrified.

Fili gave Pete a pat, and told Ori, “Yep, and Clyde’s horse too. I’m sure you can imagine that I was a bit disinclined to hand over Pete. There were eight of them, though, and just me and Clyde. The discussion was becoming a bit heated when Bill flew up and landed on Clyde’s saddle horn and starts talking away.”

Fili grinned at Ori and told him, “All those Indians acted like the devil had shown up. And it turns out, to them it might as well have. They think ravens are shape shifters, and carry messages from their gods. When Bill started talking and sounding like Clyde and me, they thought twice about wanting anything to do with us.”

“What did they do?” Kili asked.

“They kindly showed us the way to get home, and once they made sure we were actually leaving, they turned in the other direction about as fast as they could go. They didn’t care if we got home or not, of course. They just wanted us gone,” Fili laughed, “and as far as possible.”

After a pause, Kili asked, “How do I remind you of Clyde?”

With a smile, Fili answered, “Oh, you don’t remind me of Clyde at all. It’s Bill you bring to mind. I think that bird might have chattered on more than you, but it would be a close race to see who talked more.”

Ori and Balin burst into laughter while Kili stuck out his tongue at Fili. He was laughing, though, when he told the blonde, “Well, maybe I’ll bring you luck too.”

Fili returned his grin, saying, “You never know.”

***

When they reached town, Balin and Kili went to arrange for a delivery of grain, and to pick up a few things at the general store. Ori offered to introduce Fili to his brother, the tailor. Fili tied Pete up to the rail, and followed Ori into one of the small buildings.

A grey haired man wrapped Ori in a bear hug. After a moment, Ori pulled back and said, “Fili, this is my brother Domingo Delgado.”

“Please call me Dori,” the man insisted. “You must be the farrier I’ve heard about.”

“I suppose,” Fili sent Ori a questioning look.

Before Ori could say anything, Dori explained, “We’re a small town. When someone new moves in, it’s news. Especially when it’s someone with a trade like a farrier.”

“I wouldn’t say I was moving in. More like passing through,” Fili was a little uncomfortable with the idea of being the town news.

“Well, either way, what can I do for you?”

Dori and Fili haggled a bit, but eventually came to an agreement for a few outfits. Most of the clothes were made already, but needed to be tailored to fit Fili. He also ordered two new shirts and three pairs of pants. Dori promised to get as much done as he could, and send them out with the delivery of grain. The rest would be picked up by Fili.

Dori handed Ori a bundle to take home, and gave him another hug. Fili was startled to find himself enveloped in a hug goodbye too. He awkwardly patted the man on the back, and then made his escape.

Ori laughed at the look on Fili’s face. “You’re on the Arkenstone, so as far as Dori is concerned, you’re family.”

“For all he knows, I’m a murderer.” Fili laughed at Ori’s amused look.

Taunting Fili, Ori did a happy sideways skip, saying, “If you’re a murderer, you’re horrible at it. Look at me, still walking and breathing and everything.” Whatever he was going to say next was cut off as he collided with a blonde man stepping out of a doorway.

Fili caught Ori’s arm, preventing him from falling, but he dropped his bundle. It came untied, and a few balls of yarn scattered.

“Dammit, watch yourself!” the tall man exclaimed. Ori stammered out an apology, bending to get his yarn. “Oh, it’s you. Where’s your bodyguard?”

Fili bent down to get a ball of yard, but the slender blonde was there first. He handed it to Fili with a smile, saying, “I don’t know you.”

“That’s right,” Fili agreed, taking the yarn.

Ori tried to step around him, but the blonde sidestepped to block him. Without taking his eyes from Fili, the man said, “Ori, don’t be rude. Introduce me to your friend.”

“Fili Vestrin, Legolas Greenleaf,” Ori muttered, not looking at either one of them.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Legolas said, holding out his hand.

Fili didn’t know why Ori was suddenly so unhappy, but he knew it had something to do with the man standing in front of him. “Likewise,” he said, reaching to briefly shake the man’s hand. “Ori, let’s go see if the wagon’s loaded yet.”

Legolas didn’t let go of Fili’s hand. Still staring at Fili, he said, “Yes, Ori, go see about the wagon.”

This man was starting to unnerve Fili. He pulled his hand free, and took Ori by the elbow, walking with him towards the store.

They didn’t get more than a few steps away when Legolas said, “Are we going to see any of you boys at the rodeo this year?”

That caught Fili’s attention. However, Ori hunched his shoulders like he was expecting a blow.

“Not _you,_ Ori, I know you won’t be there. What about your new friend, though?”

Fili turned back, asking, “What rodeo?”

Ori grabbed his arm and tugged on it, but Fili ignored him for a moment.

Taking a step closer, Legolas told Fili, “The one my father throws every year. After the round up, of course. There’s a picnic too. Everyone’s invited.”

Fili didn’t care about a town picnic, but he asked, “What events?”

“Several, but the main attraction is the bull riding.”

“What’s the purse?” Fili heard Ori mutter something, but still ignored him. Legolas named an amount that Fili would earn in a year, if he was lucky. “That’s a pretty high sum.”

“It’s a very competitive event.” Legolas gave a small smile. “Sometimes people get hurt.”

“I bet. I’ll see you there.” Ori tugged on Fili’s arm again. Fili gave him a frown, starting to get annoyed.

“Oh, I don’t compete,” Legolas said. “Aren’t you a little… small?”

“You don’t have anything that I can’t ride.” Fili knew he sounded cocky, but this man was getting on his nerves, and Ori kept pulling at his arm.

Legolas stepped close to Fili, biting his lip, and murmured in a voice full of sin, “You promise?”

Fili didn’t bother to dignify that with a reply. He turned away, finally allowing Ori to pull him down the walkway.

“I’ll keep an eye out for you,” Legolas called to their backs. Fili just kept walking. Ori glanced back nervously, and pulled on Fili’s arm again, trying to make him walk faster.

“Ori, enough,” Fili told him. “I’m not a dog on a rope.”

Ori still didn’t let his grip up on Fili’s arm until the wagon was in sight. Balin and Kili were already there. The wagon was loaded with the supplies they had come to purchase, and they were just waiting on Ori.

Fili told them to go on ahead, he would catch up with them on the road home. He watched them drive off, then headed into the general store.

Before he got a chance to do anything, the man behind the counter said, “You must be Fili.”

Fili wasn’t sure what expression was on his face, but the man laughed. “Kili told me about you. I’m Bard. Nice to meet you.”

Fili was starting to get a headache. “Nice to meet you too. Do you have any rope?”

Fili ended up buying the rope, plus a hat, small bag of coffee, and a box of sugar cubes. He was swinging up into the saddle when a little girl ran by and greeted him by name. That was the last straw, and he urged Pete into a trot out of town.

Once he got away, he started to feel a little better. “People are too complicated,” he told Pete.

He caught up with the heavy wagon easily. All three men gave him a grim look. “See what I mean?” he muttered to Pete while he was still out of earshot.

He reined Pete in to walk beside the wagon, and no one said anything. Ori kept giving him sad looks, Kili looked like he was pouting, and Balin refused to look at anything but the horses pulling the wagon.

After a few minutes of this, Fili didn’t know if he wanted to snap at them all, or just kick Pete into a gallop and leave the sullen silence behind. With a sigh, he decided someone needed to be the adult here.

“Ori,” Fili tried to keep his voice patient,” I don’t know what’s wrong unless you tell me.”

That had the effect of opening a floodgate.

“You can’t go to the Greenleaf rodeo!” Ori burst out. “They are horrible!”

“People always get hurt,” said Kili.

“People _die_ at his rodeos,” Balin threw in.

“Wait,” Fili held up his hand. Still trying to keep his patience, he said, “Ori, you and I had a talk about this already. Sometimes people get hurt.”

Balin interrupted, “No, Fili, you wait. You don’t understand. Greenleaf sets it up so someone always dies. It’s part of the entertainment for him. Last year, a rope just happened to fray and a man got gored. The year before, a cinch broke and someone got trampled. Someone always dies.”

“It’s never one of his men, either,” Kili added. “These accidents always happen to someone else, then he claims it was because they were careless.”

“Have you thought that maybe that’s true?” Fili asked. “Maybe these people were careless and not paying attention.”

“The only thing they were careless with was not keeping an eye on their gear.” Kili gave him a mournful look. “People are not that careless, not every single year as long as I can remember.”

“That’s a pretty serious accusation. Is there any proof?” Fili asked.

“The only law here is a sheriff that comes through on a circuit,” Balin scoffed. “How are we supposed to prove anything?”

They rode in silence for a few minutes. Now Ori wasn’t looking at Fili at all, he just stared at his feet. Kili kept shooting him quick anxious glances.

“I’ll think about it, okay? I’ll consider everything you said,” Fili sighed.

“Do you promise?” Kili asked him.

“Yeah, I promise.”

Kili reached out a hand, and they shook on it. They rode in silence a few minutes more, until Fili decided he had reached his quota for dealing with people.

“I’ll meet you back at the ranch,” he said, and nudged Pete into a gallop before anyone could reply.

***

After dinner that night, Kili and Ori both came out to watch Fili. Fili was working with Pete, going over tricks. When he noticed the two men by the fence, he walked over, Pete following behind.

“Look, Pete, we have an audience. Wanna show off for the guys a little?” Pete nodded his head.

Fili hopped into the saddle, explaining, “We were working on roping. Pete’s one of the best horses around, but even he needs to remember not to shy away from a rope.”

He nudged the horse a short distance away, then told him, “Hold.”

Pete stood still while Fili started swinging his rope overhead. Slowly, he widened the loop of the lasso. Eventually the loop was big enough to completely encircle the horse. Fili slowed the swing, allowing the loop to come to rest on the ground. He patted Pete on the neck. With a snap of his wrist, Fili started the lasso twirling again. Pete shifted restlessly, and Fili murmured, “Hold, Pete.”

They repeated this a few times, until Fili coiled his rope again and slid from the saddle. He gave Pete something he pulled from his pocket.

Kili called out, “How did you teach him to do the tricks?”

Fili shot him a grin, and told him, “That wasn’t a trick, that was just a little practice. This is a trick.”

Fili made sure the reins were knotted so they couldn’t drag the ground. Then he made a motion with his arm, and said, “Get up, Pete.”

Pete spun and took off in the direction Fili had pointed. Fili let him go, then gave a shrill whistle. Pete turned, and came galloping back at full speed. Fili glanced at Ori and Kili, and gave them a wink before returning his attention to the oncoming horse.

Pete gave no sign of slowing down, and Ori nervously called Fili’s name. Fili just stood, watching Pete charge at him. At the last second, Fili stepped to the side, grabbing the saddle horn and flinging himself into the saddle. However, he was facing the wrong direction, towards Pete’s hind end.

He gave an exaggerated shrug to Kili and Ori, and called out “Oops!” He laughed at the expression on their faces, and let himself fall backwards out of the saddle on the still galloping horse. He caught his arm around Pete’s neck, and when his feet hit the ground, he pushed off, managing to spin himself around and land back in the saddle, facing the proper direction this time. “There! That’s better!” he called, smiling at the two men again.

Kili laughed, but Ori looked as if he might faint. Fili decided to give poor Ori a break, and stop the theatrics. “Whoa, Pete,” and the horse slowed, then stopped.

Fili slid down, and walked over to where Kili and Ori were standing. Pete followed behind, hooking his head over the man’s shoulder when they stopped walking. Fili just rubbed Pete’s head, then pushed him away. Pete nudged Fili in the back, pushing the blonde forward and making him laugh.

Still smiling, Kili asked again, “How did you teach him all that stuff?”

Fili got a very serious look, and told him, “It’s a trade secret. Passed down through generations of wranglers.”

Ori was wide eyed as he said, “We wouldn’t tell anyone.”

Fili gave them both a dubious look, but asked, “Do you swear?”

Both men agreed, and watched as Fili pulled something out of his pocket. With a smile, he showed it to them.

Frowning, Ori asked, “Is that a sugar cube?”

Fili nodded, adding, “Horses have a terrible sweet tooth. They love it. Pete also likes hard candy, bread, and beer. But if I catch either one of you getting drunk with my horse, we will have to have words.” He laughed at the expression Ori had, and offered the sugar cube to Pete. The horse eagerly ate it, and nosed him for more.

Fili pulled another cube out and handed it to Ori. “Hold it in your palm, like this,” he instructed, showing him to hold his hand flat.

Ori held out the sugar cube on his palm, and laughed when Pete ate it. He started stroking the horse’s cheek, saying, “His lips are so soft!”

Kili came and stood by Fili, then bumped his shoulder into the blonde. “Looks like you are good at training people sometimes, too.”

Fili smiled at him. “Nah, that’s all Pete. I’m no good with people.”

Kili returned the smile, murmuring, “I beg to differ.”

Blushing, Fili ducked his head and ran a hand through his hair. It was only then that he realized his new hat had fallen off. He stammered something about it, then went to find it. Kili followed him, leaving Ori patting and cooing to Pete.

Fili picked his hat up, dusting it off. He stood for a moment, watching Ori. “He’s going to have that horse spoiled rotten,” he muttered to Kili.

Kili laughed, and said, “I think Pete’s plenty spoiled already.”

Fili mocked affront, saying, “I’ll have you know my horse is not spoiled one whit. He’s just well maintained.”

“Uh huh,” Kili said, clearly not believing a word. Suddenly he shot a hand out, grabbing something. He held his closed fist out to Fili and told him, “Make a wish.”

Fili raised his eyebrows and asked, “What?”

Carefully cupping his hands, Kili showed Fili the insect he had caught. “It’s a lightning bug. Tell it your wish.”

Looking as if he thought Kili might be slightly crazy, Fili asked, “Why would I tell a bug my wish?”

“My ma used to tell me that lightning bugs were pets for fairies. You could whisper a wish to them, and they would take it back and tell the fairies, who would try to make it come true. So go on, tell it your wish.” Kili gestured again.

Charmed, Fili smiled and said, “I can’t think of anything to wish for.”

Kili whispered into his cupped hands, then let the bug go. They both watched as it flew away flashing.

Fili turned back to Kili and asked, “What was your wish?”

“I can’t tell you or it won’t come true.”

“Oh come on! Tell me,” Fili cajoled.

Kili shrugged and told him, “I don’t make the rules. Take it up with the fairies.”


	5. Thinkin' Problem

Fili checked the little mare’s hoof, and declared her free of thrush and fit to ride.

Bofur clapped him on the back, saying, “Good! We’re off work tomorrow. Why don’t we go into town tonight? We can go to my brother’s tavern. Have a bite and a drink, maybe play a game or two?”

With a shrug, Fili decided, “Why not?” If he was actually going to do anything about being a farrier, he’d have to let people know he was open for business. Might as well start.

That afternoon, he found himself riding side by side with Bofur. He was amused to see that Pete was showing off a bit for the little mare. The mare was ignoring him. He gave Pete a consoling pat, murmuring, “I know the feeling, big guy.”

“What’s that?” Bofur asked.

“Tell me about your brother,” Fili said, not wanting to admit he had been actually talking to Pete.

That got Bofur going. He talked about his brother and their cousin all the way into town. Fili just nodded at appropriate times to encourage him.

Once they got to town, Fili promised to meet Bofur at his brother’s tavern after he ran a few errands. His first stop was Dori’s tailoring shop. The older man greeted him with a hug, and offered him a drink. Fili declined, and got his clothes. He also promised to deliver a small bundle to Ori.

Fili tucked his clothes into a saddlebag, then went to Bard’s shop. He picked up more coffee and sugar cubes, and discussed getting a few things on order. He was settling up when a couple of bottles full of clear liquid caught his eye. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing.

Bard made a face. “Mescal. A vaquero talked me into accepting it in trade. It’s horrible and no one wants it.”

“How much do you want for it?” When Bard named a ridiculously low sum, Fili shrugged. “I’ll take one then.”

Bard didn’t question his luck, he just handed both bottles to Fili. When Fili asked about it, the tall man told him, “That’s the price for both. I’m sick of looking at them.”

Fili settled his bill, and took his goods out to Pete. He tucked the bottles down in his new clothes so they wouldn’t break, and led Pete down to the tavern.

By this time, there were already more than a few horses lined up outside. Fili led Pete around to the side of the building instead. He didn’t trust a horse he hadn’t checked personally. He dropped Pete’s reins, letting the horse know to stay in the area.

When he pushed the door open, he heard Bofur yell his name. He spotted that hat first, and headed towards it. The place wasn’t too terribly crowded, but Fili felt like it was. He was unused to being around people, and Bofur seemed to know them all. He introduced Fili to everyone, but names and faces just blurred together.

He remembered Bombur, however, mainly because everything on the man was round, crowned by vibrant orange hair. Bombur was also the one who kept pouring him drink after drink, when all of the people insisted on buying one for the “new fella in town.” Fili started sliding them to Bofur, but was still feeling light headed. He remembered Bifur too, mainly because he was impossible to forget with that scar and the streak of pure white running through his hair. Fili was grateful by the time Bifur dropped a plate in front of him. Too much alcohol and not enough food was starting to take a toll.

Not on Bofur, though. Even though Fili kept sliding drinks his way, he kept ordering them too. He was probably putting away twice as much booze as Fili, and not looking any worse for wear.

There was a little talk about Fili’s farrier skills, but mainly everyone was interested in the round up. It would be starting soon, and wagers were being made on which ranch would have the most cattle, or wind up with the biggest bull. Fili noticed Bofur stayed away from such bets, and no one was mentioning the Arkenstone.

Remembering that Thorin had mentioned being robbed, Fili lowered his voice and leaned in to Bofur. “How badly was the ranch taken?”

Bofur lost his usual smile. “Pretty bad. The place was stripped almost bare when we got there. Thorin ended up sinking a lot of his savings into a new bull and some cows. I think he’s hoping on some mustangs too.”

That means that Thorin was placing a lot of faith in Fili’s skills, if he was hoping to sell trained horses. Trained horses would fetch a much higher price than any unbroken ones. Still, Fili asked, “How is he getting the cattle to market?”

“Usually all the ranchers around go in on a drive to the rail yard. They sell them there.” Bofur finished off his drink, so Fili nudged him one out of the line he had in front of him. Bofur slammed it back, and yelled at Bombur to bring another. “I don’t think you have said anything about your family, Fili. Where are your people?”

Fili had let his guard down, and drank enough to answer unthinkingly. “Out west now I think, in California.” He caught himself, and said, “We don’t really talk, though.” He picked up his drink and turned away.

Anyone else would have taken the hint and let it drop. Not Bofur. The man seemed to have few social boundaries. He threw his arm around Fili’s shoulder, asking “Why not? Family is a blessing!” He waved to his brother at the end of the bar.

“Not always,” Fili told him, and slid out from under the arm and off the stool. He took a drink and went to stand beside the piano, idly poking at the keys.

Bifur came and stood beside him. Fili tapped a couple of keys, and Bifur reached over and tapped different ones, making a tune. “Do you play?” Fili asked him.

Bifur nodded, and tapped a few more keys. “Would you play a song, please?” Fili moved so the man could sit down on the bench. After he took a seat, Bifur stared at Fili expectantly. “Oh. Um. How about something cheerful?”

With a nod, Bifur started playing ‘Buffalo Gals.’ Bofur started singing loudly from the bar, in a surprisingly pleasant voice. Soon it seemed like everyone was singing, and Fili clapped Bifur on the back, and made his way back to his stool.

More people were showing up, which meant that Bofur and Bombur were introducing Fili to new faces with names he didn’t even try to remember. Bombur kept pouring him drink after drink, until he finally admitted he couldn’t hold any more. The room was starting to spin as it was, and he hoped Pete remembered the way home.

Bofur tried to talk him into staying for a game of cards, but Fili knew better. He was already drunk enough that he would wake up with no money if he started to gamble. He promised to join a hand next time, and waved as he exited the bar.

He turned the corner, and collided with someone. Reaching a hand to brace himself on the wall, he looked up and saw Legolas.

The slender man smiled at him, saying, “Well, we just keep running into each other.”

Fili leaned his back against the wall, muttering, “Yeah, literally.”

Legolas popped his eyebrows up, asking, “Are you drunk?”

Fili stayed on the wall, saying, “Everyone kept buying me drinks.”

Legolas turned to his companions, and said something too softly for him to hear. They laughed and walked on, leaving them alone beside the building. Legolas turned back with a smile, and stepped closer to Fili, saying, “Not everyone, surely. I know I didn’t get a chance to buy you a drink. Why don’t you join us?”

“No, thank you. No more drinks today.” Fili was talking carefully so he didn’t slur, but ruined the illusion when he said, “Where the hell is my horse?”

Amused, Legolas laughed and said, “Wow, you really are drunk if you lost your horse.”

Fili stepped to the side to peer around the man, and realized he was on the wrong side of the building. “I’d never lose my horse!” he said, turning to walk away. Everything kept spinning though, and he slid backwards. He ended up falling back against Legolas.

Legolas stepped into Fili, pressing up against his back, and wrapping an arm around his waist. He leaned down and murmured into Fili’s ear, “Why don’t I take you home?”

Something about the tall man made Fili’s skin crawl. He stuck two fingers between his teeth and let out a loud whistle. The noise made Legolas jerk away. Fili leaned against the wall again, until Pete came trotting up. It took him a moment, but he got a foot in the stirrup and swung up on Pete’s back.

Legolas reached out and grabbed Pete’s bridle before they could leave. “Fili, at least let me see you home. You’re drunk. I’d feel bad if they find you on the side of the road dead because you fell off your horse.”

“It will take a hell of a lot more than a few drinks to make me fall off of my horse. I’ll see you around, Legolas.” Fili nudged Pete forward, forcing the blonde to move away.

“Count on it,” he heard Legolas call. He waved, not turning around. He thought of how stupid it would look if he turned around to wave and managed to knock himself off his horse. It made him laugh.

He was most of the way home when he saw a figure walking. It was Kili. He urged Pete over to him, and called, “Out catching more wishes?”

“You know it!” Kili called back.

Fili thought about getting down and walking with him, but figured that might be a bad idea. Instead, he kicked a foot out of the stirrup and offered a hand. “Want a ride home?”

Taking his arm, Kili boosted himself on to Pete’s back, riding behind Fili. When he felt arms snake around his waist to hold on, he couldn’t help but compare it to how Legolas had grabbed him. This was much nicer.

They rode in silence for a minute, until Kili asked, “Are you singing?”

Embarrassed, Fili realized that yes, he had been quietly singing. He stopped immediately and shrugged.

“Are you _drunk?_ ” Kili asked, with a smile in his voice.

“I might have had a drink or two this evening,” Fili admitted. That made him remember, “Look in the left saddlebag.”

Kili squirmed around a bit, and pulled out a bottle. He offered it to Fili, who waved a hand at him. So Kili uncorked it, and took a swig. Sputtering, he asked, “What _is_ that? Turpentine?”

Fili took the bottle and had a long swallow. “It isn’t that bad. I’ve had worse.” He took another drink and handed it back to Kili.

Kili took a sip, asking, “Where? I can’t imagine much worse.”

“A little bar in Mexico. There wasn’t anything around but a lot of sand and a few vaqueros. You had a choice of drinks. You could get mescal like this,” Fili said, taking the bottle and having another swallow. Waving the bottle at Kili again, he continued, “Or you could get mescal with a rattlesnake inside. They claimed it made you healthy. _That_ was worse. You don’t know the meaning of disgusting until you drink a shot of snake juice.”

“Ugh. I don’t want to think about it.” Kili took the bottle, stuck the cork back in it, and dropped it back into the saddlebag.

By this time they had made it back to the ranch. Kili slid off Pete and opened the corral gate so Fili could ride inside. Fili hopped down, but staggered a little when he hit the ground. He leaned against Pete for a second, then managed to get the saddle off of the horse. He draped it over the fence of the corral, figuring he could deal with it in the morning. He grabbed the bags, slung them over his shoulder, and leaned on the fence.

“Oh yeah, you’re drunk,” Kili murmured. He came forward and caught the blonde around the waist, telling him, “Come on, cowboy, let’s get you back home.”

They walked back to the cabin, more or less in a straight line with guidance from Kili. When they reached the porch, Fili dropped the saddlebags, and sat on the porch railing, looking mournful.

“What’s wrong?” Kili sounded concerned.

Fili stared at his feet, still looking sad, and told him, “I want my boots off.”

Kili laughed at him. “Here,” he gestured, “give me a foot.” When Fili stuck his leg up, he said, “You are an adorable drunk,” as he pulled off the boot.

Fili pouted and held up the other foot. “I’m not adorable,” he muttered.

“Yeah, you are,” Kili tugged at the boot, but it was difficult and wouldn’t come off.

“Maybe that’s why everyone kept giving me drinks,” Fili reached up and pushed against Kili with his other foot. The boot suddenly came loose, and Kili fell back against the cabin.

Fili overbalanced and flipped backwards off the rail. He landed on his back in the yard with a loud “Oof!”

“Fili!” Kili leaped over the rail, dropping to his knees next to Fili. “Are you okay?”

Fili looked at him for a second, then started to laugh. Kili grabbed at his arms and legs, checking for injuries, but only making him laugh harder. Once Kili was satisfied, he leaned over, poking Fili in the chest. “What are you laughing at?”

Fili got the laughing under control, but he couldn’t stop the wide grin. “I have been a cowboy most of my life. I have rode bulls, busted broncs, and trained more horses than I can count. I don’t remember the last time I got thrown. Yet here I am, flat on my back in the yard, drunk as hell, brought down by a porch rail and _my own damn boot!”_ He couldn’t help it, he started laughing again. This time Kili joined him.

Eventually the laughter tapered off, and Fili looked at Kili for a second, seeing that smile and those twinkling eyes. Without even thinking about it, Fili reached up and tangled his hand in Kili’s hair, pulling him down for a kiss.

Kili came willingly, giving him a soft kiss. When Kili pulled back a bit, Fili let his hand fall away, but Kili didn’t move. Instead, he leaned back down, pressing another kiss on Fili’s lips.

Fili pushed up, deepening the kiss. After a few minutes, Kili pulled back enough to bite Fili’s bottom lip and pull on it. Fili’s arms shot out, one wrapping around Kili’s waist, the other around his neck. With a twist and a kick of his leg, Fili rolled them over, until he was on top of the brunette.

He laughed softly at Kili’s look of surprise, and told him, “Cowboy’s rule: If you can control the head, you can probably control the body.” He gently wiggled Kili’s head back and forth to demonstrate.

Kili smiled and kissed him. When they separated again, he asked a bit breathlessly, “What’s another cowboy rule?”

Fili kissed along his jaw, then murmured in Kili’s ear, “If there’s a job that needs doing, shut up and do it.” He lightly bit Kili’s earlobe.

Kili made a noise and pulled Fili closer. Whispering, he asked, “Another?”

Fili mouthed his way down the tanned neck, then nibbled at the exposed skin. He heard a horse nicker, and it suddenly reminded him where he was. He pulled away a bit and replied, “Don’t get caught in the yard with your pants down.”

Kili laughed and said, “That can’t be a rule.”

Fili rolled away, and lay on his back. “It’s unspoken. Meaning only fools break it.”

Kili got up, and offered a hand to Fili. When Fili reached his feet, Kili pulled him close, kissing him deeply. When they broke apart, Kili pulled him to the cabin by the hand, saying, “I’d hate to break a rule.”

When they crossed the porch, Fili snagged a bottle of mescal from the bag. He took a long pull, and offered it to Kili. Kili took it, and led them inside. He took a sip, then took the cork from Fili and resealed the bottle. “Why don’t you save some of that for later?” he murmured and set the bottle aside.

Fili shrugged and said, “I have another bottle.”

With a disgusted look, Kili asked, “You bought two bottles of it? Dear lord, why?”

Fili went to his room and sat on the bed. “I only bought one. Bard gave me two.”

“I imagine he would have given both of them away for free.” Kili stood in front of him. “Why don’t we get you put to bed? You can sleep it off, and I’ll even make you breakfast for your hangover tomorrow.” He reached out, and started to unbutton Fili’s shirt.

“I don’t get hangovers.” Fili caught Kili’s hand, pulling him down for another kiss. He wound up on his back, Kili straddling him.

Kili pulled back and undid another button on Fili’s shirt. “Do you usually get this drunk?” He leaned down, kissing the exposed skin.

Fili closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation. “Well, no.” He felt the remaining buttons on his shirt unfastened, then it fell open. Kili bent and kissed his neck, grinding his hips down into Fili. Fili made a noise and grabbed Kili, rolling them until he was on top, nestled between Kili’s legs.

Kili laughed, “Maybe you aren’t that drunk.” The laugh turned into a strangled noise when Fili pulled one of his legs up, grinding against him.

“Wanna taste you,” Fili told him, then began to put actions to words. He swiftly unbuttoned Kili’s shirt, sliding down, exploring with hands and mouth. When he slid down low enough, he popped open the button on Kili’s pants and dipped his tongue into the man’s navel. Kili’s hands tangled in his hair as he finished unfastening the pants and pulled them down.

Fili glanced up to see Kili watching him as he took the hardened length into his mouth. He saw the brunette’s eyes flutter closed, then closed his own, enjoying the feel and taste. Kili bucked his hips up with a moan. Fili gagged a little, and threw his arms over Kili’s legs, holding him down.

Soon Kili was panting. The hands in Fili’s hair fisted to the point of pain, so he grabbed them and pinned them down beside Kili’s hips.

“Fili, wait… if you don’t stop…” Kili didn’t even finish what he was trying to say before he came with a curse.

Fili didn’t stop. He swallowed and kept going until he heard Kili whimper. He eased his mouth off, and licked his lips, looking at Kili.

Kili shifted and it pulled on Fili’s shirt, causing it to tighten across the scars there. In a flash, he remembered the crack of the whip, blinding pain, a voice calling him a rapist. He saw himself now, pinning down Kili’s hips, holding down his hands. Kili was staring at him with a look of surprise. _Did he just force himself on Kili?_

“Fuck!” Fili barked, and flung himself off the bed. He landed on his ass on the floor.

Startled, Kili jumped, but all Fili saw was him recoiling. Kili said something, but Fili couldn’t hear him over the screaming in his head. What had he done?

He couldn’t stand it, couldn’t think about it. Fili scrambled to his feet, and bounced against the frame of the door in his haste. He saw one more glimpse of Kili staring at him, wide eyed, mouth open. He reached out and grabbed the bottle of mescal, then fled the cabin.

Without a pause, he ran straight for the corral. He threw open the gate, whistling shrilly. Pete came running, and Fili caught his mane. He flung himself up on the horse’s back, not bothering with bridle or saddle.

“Get up!” he told Pete, and the horse obeyed. Fili bent down and pressed his face against the familiar warmth, closing his eyes. He let Pete choose the path away, and they were gone into the night.


	6. Complicated

Fili had no idea how long Pete ran. After a while, the horse slowed, eventually coming to a halt. Only then did Fili sit up and look around. He wasn’t entirely sure where he was. Squinting, he thought he could see the lights from the town in the distance.

He ran a shaking hand over his eyes, and only then realized he was crying. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He was still clutching the mescal, so he pulled the cork from the bottle and took a drink. It occurred to him that maybe if he hadn’t been drinking, he wouldn’t have held Kili down and….

His mind shied away from that thought. He was angry and disgusted with himself. If he had his rope, he could just lynch himself and save everyone else the trouble. But no, he had run off with no rope, no saddle, nothing. He didn’t even have on his boots. He had on pants and an unbuttoned shirt, and that was it. Oh, but he had grabbed that stupid bottle.  

Fili threw the bottle as hard as he could. He heard it break, and Pete shifted. He patted the horse’s neck, but Pete shifted uneasily again. Only then did Fili realize that not only was he alone and unarmed, he had just signaled to anything with ears that he was nearby. He was half tempted to just wait there and let whatever it was eat him. However, he wasn’t willing to risk the same fate for Pete.

He ran his hands through his hair, pulling out the snarls the wind had created. He was suddenly exhausted. What had he even been thinking? He hadn’t been trying to run away from what he had done, or the ranch. He had been trying to get away from himself. No matter how far he went, how fast Pete could run, Fili wouldn’t be able to outrun his thoughts.

With a sigh, Fili looked around, trying to orient himself. He thought he had it, or could at least get back to the town. Using his legs, he gave Pete a nudge, telling him “Let’s go back.”

He slumped tiredly against the horse for a while. He let Pete pick the way. Pete knew where his food was, he’d find the path home. Fili wondered how long that would be his home, once he got back. Maybe long enough for him to be told to grab his things and leave. Or maybe long enough for Thorin to grab a rope.

Either way, it didn’t matter. “What’s the cowboy’s first rule, Pete?”

Pete swiveled his ears, so Fili knew the horse was listening. Heck, Pete probably knew the answer. He just couldn’t say it.

Fili answered for him, “Cowboy up.” Fili took a deep breath, sitting up straight. He buttoned his shirt and pulled his hair back away from his face.

Cowboy up. Two little words that mean so much. Two words that had been beaten into him by his father. Two words that meant no matter what, you faced life in the eye. If you got knocked down, you got back up, dusted yourself off, and went on. You held your head up, shut your mouth, and did what needed doing. You did the right thing, or you paid for your mistakes. You were accountable for your actions.

He might not have looked the part at the moment, but Fili was a cowboy through and through. He leaned forward a little, signaling Pete to move faster than the lazy stroll he was doing now. Pete started walking like he had a place to be.

Fili patted the horse’s neck again. He straightened back up, holding his head high. Whatever Kili decided, Fili would do it no questions asked. It would only be what he deserved, after all.

“Time to cowboy up, Pete.”

When he got back to the ranch, he saw the little mare back in her stall. So Bofur had made it home okay. Fili got Pete back in the corral, noticing his saddle was gone. He walked back to the cabin, seeing a dim light inside. A candle maybe? He saw the shadow of someone moving around, too. Probably Bofur.

Fili paused before walking on to the porch. His boots and saddlebags were gone. Well, there wasn’t a bonfire in the yard, so they weren’t burning his things. He squared his shoulders and walked to the door. With only a brief pause, he opened it and slipped inside.

He had expected to see Bofur getting ready for bed. He had not expected to see Kili pacing across the room, shirtless, hair flying everywhere. He just stopped and stared. He couldn’t think of what to say.

Kili’s head whipped around when he heard the door. Wild eyed, he said Fili’s name, and strode to the blonde.

Fili reminded himself to cowboy up, and braced himself for whatever castigation was coming. He had no idea how Kili would react. A punch, surely. Maybe some shouting. He was completely unprepared when Kili threw his arms around Fili’s neck, squeezing so tight he could barely breathe.

Fili’s hands came up reflexively and held Kili, but then he dropped them back down. Surely Kili wouldn’t want to be touched by him now. But then why was he being hugged? Maybe he had passed out and this was all just a crazy dream brought on by a bad batch of mescal. If it was all a dream, shouldn’t it be easier to breathe?

“Kili?” Fili tried to pull back a little, but the taller man just clung to him. He tried stepping back, but Kili went with him. Fili ended up pressed back against the wall, Kili still hanging on to his neck, and burying his face in Fili’s hair.

“Kili? I can’t breathe,” Fili said. He was still trying not to touch, but being smashed between a wall and Kili was making that impossible.

Kili jerked back, grabbing Fili’s shoulders. With a shake, he said, “Never again! Don’t you do that ever again! Promise me!”

Fili started to say something, but Kili shook him again. His head bumped against the wall, reminding him that he was still drunk.

When Kili heard the thump, he gasped and wrapped himself around Fili again. This time Fili found himself with his face against Kili’s chest. Fingers were rubbing his scalp gently, but he still couldn’t breathe. He tried to turn his head, but Kili’s grip tightened. Unless Kili had some master plan to slowly smother him, this was making no sense. Fili was guilt-ridden, tired, confused, and still entirely too drunk for all this.

“Kili? I’m so sorry,” Fili started, muffled against Kili.

That was as far as he got before Kili stepped back, angry again. This time he jerked Fili away from the wall before giving him a good shake. Fili thought he might have another shake or two left in him before he threw up.

“No! Promise me! You tell me ‘Kili, I promise I will never run off again and not tell you were I am going’ or so help me, Fili, I will tie you to the bed myself!” Kili spun away, ranting. “Bofur came back and he hadn’t seen you! I didn’t even know where to look! You were just gone, and Pete was gone, but your saddle was here, and I brought in your boots!” Kili pointed to the boots in question like an accusation. His breath hitched, and Kili slumped tiredly. “You were just… gone.” He sounded so forlorn.

This was all too complicated for Fili. He didn’t know what to do with people most of the time anyway. All this drama was overwhelming. He hadn’t known what to expect, but he would never have imagined this in his wildest dreams. He tried to pick it apart and understand it. “My boots?”

“And your saddle, and the rest of your things. They are in your room,” Kili was still staring at him.

“Bofur?” Fili wondered why the man wasn’t out here. Surely he couldn’t sleep though this?

“I sent him to my cabin for the night.”

Fili ran his hands over his face and through his hair, pulling it back. “Pete’s fine.”

Kili gaped at him for a second, and then told him, “I wasn’t worried about Pete. Pete wasn’t the one that ran out of here blind drunk and looking like he had seen a ghost. I was worried about _you_ , you idiot.” Kili came and hugged him again. This time Fili hugged him back. Without letting go, Kili asked, “What happened?”

Fili knew he should let go and step back, he should quit touching Kili. He couldn’t, though. He told himself he would let go when Kili did. He rested his forehead on Kili’s shoulder. He whispered past the lump in his throat, “I am so sorry.”

Kili whispered too, “For what?”

Kili was going to make him say it. “For holding you down and making you… for forcing you… Kili, I’m sorry,” Fili stammered, still unable to find words.

“Whoa. What?” Kili sounded stunned. “You didn’t force me to do anything.”

“I held you down. You asked me to stop, but I didn’t.” Fili didn’t raise his head. He couldn’t. He was just waiting for Kili to shout at him, push him away, hate him, something. At this point he just wanted to get it over.

Instead, Kili hugged him harder. “Oh no, you silly idiot, no. I asked you to stop because I didn’t want it to be over yet, not because I didn’t like it. I liked it a little too much.”

Fili tried to squash the fragile bloom of hope in his chest. “But… why did you look so shocked?”

Now sounding embarrassed, Kili said, “You’re pretty good at that. I wasn’t expecting it, I guess. I finished too soon. And then you jumped off the bed like something had bit you.”

The bloom got bigger. “You mean you wanted it?”

“God, yes,” Kili laughed. “Wanted it, wanted you, _still_ want you even though you’re acting like a fool. I want you in ways that would scare the cows.”

Fili was glad he was already clinging to Kili, or the relief that washed over him would have knocked him over. “I didn’t make you.” He was slowly starting to accept that idea. He started to tremble.

Kili hugged him tight, and made soothing noises. “I can’t imagine you making me do anything I don’t want to do. You didn’t make me do anything, Fee.”

“I need to sit down.” Fili was starting to think he might just swoon at Kili’s feet like some dainty southern belle.

“Let’s get you in bed, okay? Everything’s alright and we can finish talking about it tomorrow, if you want.” Kili said.

Fili agreed, and followed Kili to his room. Kili stopped unexpectedly, though, and Fili bumped into him. It felt like he had been running into things all night. Fili silently vowed to never drink this much again.

“I didn’t mean to pry,” Kili said.

Fili went around him, intent on sitting down before he had to undergo another confusing conversation. He saw his saddle was hung on the rack, saddlebags neatly beside it. The new clothes he had bought were folded and stacked on the trunk, Ori’s bundle beside them. On top of them was a sheet of paper.

“I’m sorry,” Kili said. “I thought it might have been something for the ranch, or one of us. I never would have read it if I had known otherwise. It was sitting under the clothes, though, and not in an envelope or anything.”

Fili didn’t even know what it was. When he picked the paper up, he realized it was the note from the cook’s son. He had dropped it into his bag without reading it. Then he had forgotten completely about it. That made him feel bad, until he read the letter. It told him that while it had been fun, it was probably for the best that things ended between them now. It also told him his father had been wrong, there was no force involved, and he had enjoyed spending time with Fili, but he wasn’t willing to hit the road as a saddle tramp. He had signed it ‘fondly yours,’ for heaven’s sake.

Fili sat on the bed, and it felt like a weight had been lifted from him. He hadn’t known how badly he had felt about the whole thing until he read that letter absolving him of guilt, and telling him good bye.

“I’m sorry,” Kili said again. “Did you love him?”

“No,” Fili said truthfully, “I cared about him, but it wasn’t love.”

“Can I ask what he was talking about?” Kili pointed to a couple of lines on the letter.

Fili started unbuttoning his shirt. Kili cocked an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.

“His pa caught us in bed together, and accused me of raping his son. I was thrown into the yard. They tied me to a tree, whipped me, beat me up, then threw me off the property. When I found this place, I was just looking to earn a meal.” Fili took his shirt off, and leaned so Kili could see his back.

Kili cursed, and sat down on the bed behind Fili. He ran his fingers gently across Fili’s back. “How long ago did this happen? Were we the first place you came to?”

Fili nodded, trying to think. “The first day or so after is a little fuzzy. I want to say it was less than a week before I found the ranch. I’m not entirely sure, though. Probably no more than 9 days.”

“Your back must have still been raw. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Like I said, I was hoping to earn a meal. You can’t earn a meal if you can’t work.” Fili shivered when Kili ran gentle fingers down his spine.

“We would have given you a meal. We could have looked at your back. Some of these could have probably used stitches.”

Fili glanced over his shoulder to see Kili frowning at his back. He tugged a lock of brunette hair to get his attention. “I didn’t know what kind of people were here. It was easier this way.”

Looking sad, Kili said, “I’m sorry.”

He pulled Kili around, and then lay back on the bed, adjusting until he was on his back with Kili tucked under an arm, on his chest. Fili took a deep breath for the first time in what seemed like forever. “Why are you sorry?” Fili was just relieved.

Kili said, “Life hasn’t been kind to you, has it?”

“Life’s been just fine,” Fili answered truthfully, “but the people have been a bitch.” He kissed the top of Kili’s head, and then closed his eyes. He told himself he could try to relax and still talk to Kili.

Kili started to say something else, but Fili was asleep before he could finish his sentence. Kili reached over and pulled the blanket over the both of them. He snuggled back into Fili’s chest and went to sleep.


	7. Ordinary Life

Even with all the drama, drinking, and lack of sleep, Fili still woke up when the rooster crowed. It took him a second to register what was different this morning. A soft snore made him realize it was Kili draped over him.

Fili stayed there savoring the feeling. He wanted to stay there longer, wake Kili up with kisses, and spend the day in bed. Maybe they could come back to that later. He may have the day off of work, but Pete would still want breakfast.

Moving carefully, Fili maneuvered Kili until he could get out of bed. He grabbed a shirt from the floor, not bothering to look, and headed out into the main room. He stoked the little stove, and put some coffee on. Once he finished dressing, he headed to the corral.

It looked like everyone else was sleeping in too. He didn’t begrudge them the rest, but Fili wished he could already be back in bed. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day, though. While he was mixing grain for the horses, adding a little sorghum for a treat, he thought that maybe he’d see if Kili wanted to do some fishing. There was the pond, and if nothing was in there, they could go down to the river. He’d borrow a frying pan from Bilbo, and some cornmeal, and they could make a picnic of it.

Fili’s daydream was interrupted by a cough. He glanced back, and saw Bofur there, holding a steaming mug, wearing the same clothes from last night, staring at the sky with an innocent expression on his face.

“Morning!” Bofur said, “I just wanted to see if it was safe before I went in and got a change of clothes.”

Fili blushed. “Yes, it’s safe! It isn’t what you think, anyway.”

“Uh huh,” Bofur pointedly stared at Fili’s shirt.

Looking down, Fili realized he had on Kili’s shirt. He hadn’t paid attention. He felt his face redden more.

Before Fili could think of anything to say, Bofur went on. “I wanted to make sure you were okay, regardless. You weren’t home when I got in, and Kili was a mite agitated, you could say.”

Thinking of Kili’s theatrics, Fili couldn’t help but grin. “You could say that, yeah. Everything’s fine, though.” Fili felt better than fine. He felt lighter. He hadn’t known what an emotional burden he was carrying until it was gone. Now he felt like he could float with the clouds.

“Good,” Bofur said. “Let me go change, then I’ll come back and help out here.”

“I’ve got it, Bo. There’s coffee on the stove, too.” Fili waved him off.

“I’ll see if Bilbo’s making breakfast, then,” Bofur said, walking off.

Fili got the horses fed and watered, and went back to the cabin. He was almost to the porch when he heard Thorin call his name. He started walking out, and they met in the yard.

“Do you have a minute?” Thorin asked. “Our neighbors came by last night and wanted to talk to you about getting some shoeing done. You were in town with Bofur, though.”

Before Fili could say anything, the cabin door opened. Kili walked out, bare foot and bare chested, holding two cups of coffee.

Thorin glanced at him, and then looked back at Fili. He looked at the shirt Fili wore, and his eyes narrowed.

Fili found himself falling back a step, hand going to his hip. Fili saw Thorin register that move. He mentally chided himself. He wasn’t even wearing a gun. Even if he had been, he wasn’t going to shoot Thorin. He forced himself to relax, letting his hand fall.

Thorin gave him a small smile, and held his hands out to his sides, open, showing he was unarmed. He held Fili’s stare.

Kili, completely oblivious to this little byplay, stepped between them, offering them each a cup. “Here, Thorin. I didn’t know you were out here. I can go get another cup.”

Fili wanted to shake him. If Thorin had been armed, Kili would have been right in the line of fire. Instead, he took a cup of coffee and resolved to talk to him about it later.

Thorin took a cup too. Kili turned and gave Fili a quick kiss on the cheek, then went back into the cabin.

Fili found himself saying for the second time that morning, “It’s not what you think.”

Thorin was very studiously looking at the coffee. He blew across it to cool it, and told Fili, “I think you and Kili are grown men who can mind their own business.”

Fili felt that coil of tension across his shoulders ease a fraction. Studying his own cup, he told Thorin quietly, “Then maybe it is exactly what you think.” He glanced up to see Thorin giving him that small smile again.

Bofur came out on the porch, calling “Oi! Thorin! Did you see Kili’s shirt? He seems to have lost it. It must be around here somewhere!”

“I also think you’ll have your hands full enough, anyway,” Thorin murmured to Fili.

Fili felt his face flame again as he realized that by the end of the day, the entire town will think he and Kili were involved in some torrid affair. Dismayed, he ran a hand through his hair, trying to think. Fili didn’t care much either way what people thought of him, but Kili had to live here. This was his home, his family, and his neighbors. He probably didn’t want them to gossip about the hired help.

There was no way to stop gossip. He’d have to think of some way to keep Kili’s reputation as intact as possible, though.

He and Thorin talked about business until Bilbo rang the bell, signaling breakfast was ready.

Later, Fili found himself out by the pond with Kili. The problem there was that Ori and Bofur both heard him talking to Kili, and thought fishing would be a great idea today too. Then when they started talking about it, Bilbo decided fish would be a fine meal for the night, and declared that everyone was supposed to catch their own supper, and he would cook. So instead of a nice peaceful day alone with Kili, he was spending the day with the entire ranch. He was wondering if he should be concerned. Bilbo kept shooting him looks and trying to look innocent. Fili knew no one would try that hard to look harmless and innocent unless he was actually scheming.

Fili hoped that Bilbo was planning something for dinner besides fish, if he had to be planning anything at all. Looking around, he thought he might be the only one actually fishing. Ori and Dwalin were on the opposite side of the pond, splashing around. Thorin, Balin and Bofur had baited hooks, but abandoned their poles on the ground to sit under a tree in the shade. Bilbo had recruited Kili to go back to the cabin with him and pack up a few snacks.

Fili was sitting peacefully in the sun, holding his fishing pole and listening to Bofur sing, when Kili came back and sat down beside him. Kili offered him a cookie, but frowned when he reached out to take it.

“I’m pretty sure you have worm poop on your hands. Open your mouth.” Kili offered the cookie again.

“You know worms poop dirt, right? So you are probably sitting in worm poop now,” Fili said.

“Do you go around eating dirt?”

“I try not to.”

“Then be quiet and open your mouth.” When Fili complied, Kili stuffed the cookie in his mouth, and then kissed him.

Kili pulled back, and flopped on his back. He laid his head in Fili’s lap, chattering about lunch, and tomorrow, and the clouds, and anything else that caught his attention.

Fili caught a smug look from Bilbo. Was this the little man’s devious plan? He saw that smug look aimed at Kili, and realized yes, this was the plan. If Bilbo would have convinced everyone else to stay away, his matchmaking efforts might be more successful by now.

Fili was distracted from his thoughts by a tug on the line. He gave the pole a sharp jerk, and then scooted out from under Kili so he could pull in the fish. He got it off the hook and dropped it in the creel. He figured that he had his supper tonight, anyway.

He realized that everyone had fallen quiet. Fili looked around to see everyone frozen, staring at him in shock.

“You actually caught a fish!” Bofur said.

Fili nodded at him, wondering what the problem was.

“We didn’t know there were even fish in here,” Bofur said.

“You haven’t tried to fish out here before?”

“What do you mean? We’re fishing now, ain’t we?”

Looking around, Fili saw he was the only one with a hook in the water. Then he realized he had forgotten to bait it. He burst out laughing. “Yeah, Bo, we’re fishing now.”

He kicked off his boots, scooting close enough to the pond so he could drop his feet in the water. He didn’t bother to bait the hook. He just listened to the talking going on around him.

After a while, Fili started to get hot out in the sun. He pulled in his fishing pole, and grabbed the creel, releasing the only fish caught that day.

Kili leaned over to watch, and asked him, “Do you think there are any more in there?”

Fili glanced up, and saw Kili looking at him earnestly. Suddenly the devilish streak that always got him in trouble flared to life. “I don’t know,” he said, “why don’t we see?” Then he tackled Kili into the pond.

Kili went under with a squawk, and came up sputtering.

Fili flipped his hair back, laughing. “Were you trying to talk underwater? Did you _ask_ if there were any more fish?”

“Well, I tried, but didn’t get an answer. Maybe you will!” Kili laughed then leaped on Fili.

When Fili came up, he heard Ori laughing at them. He shared a smile with Kili, and then they both zeroed in on Ori. He saw them coming, and ran away laughing and shrieking for help. Instead he got Dwalin, who lifted him over his shoulder and unceremoniously dumped him back in the pond. Ori jumped on Dwalin’s back, but it wasn’t even close to knocking the large man over. So, Fili and Kili felt obligated to help. Even then, they were having a struggle until Thorin appeared out of nowhere with a roar, catching Dwalin in the side, and effectively dunking everyone at once.

Balin and Bilbo decided discretion was the better part of valor, and retreated to the house. Bofur kicked off his boots and joined the fray, however.

That afternoon saw a bunch of tired, hungry, muddy, dripping wet men trailing back to the house. When they tried to go in, they found that Bilbo had barred the door, and refused to open it. He shouted that water was heated in the bath house, and they could have dinner after everyone was bathed, dry, and would not be ruining the furniture with pond water.

No one even tried to argue. Thorin just clapped Dwalin on the back and led the way to the bath house. Bilbo was as good as his word. There was hot water and plenty of towels set out.

Fili was asking Thorin about when he expected to start rounding up the cattle, and peeling off his sopping wet shirt. He didn’t even think about it until he heard Ori gasp.

“What happened to your back?”

Fili cringed, and everyone fell silent, waiting for the answer. Before he could say anything, Kili said, “It’s nothing.”

Everyone, including Fili, looked at him. Kili just calmly returned Fili’s stare, saying again, “It’s nothing.”

That seemed to be that. Everyone went back to what they were doing. No one looked at Fili twice. Ori started teasing Kili about something. Fili was still looking at Kili, and Kili glanced his way, dropped him a wink, and went back to talking to Ori.

Fili realized he was still staring at Kili with a smile on his face when Thorin cleared his throat. Fili’s attention snapped back, but Thorin told him they would discuss business after dinner.

That evening after dinner, Fili found himself out on the porch of the main house with Thorin. Tomorrow was going to be spent readying the forge. The day after, Fili would have people bringing horses to be shod.

“I imagine people are going to want your services a fair bit in the next few days. We’ll be starting to round up the cattle soon, so they’ll want you to look over their horses,” Thorin said.

“Well, we said Tuesdays, right? Maybe I can use the smithy in town in the evenings if there are too many,” Fili said. Since they didn’t have a farrier, he would be popular indeed in the next few weeks.

“Why? We can handle things while you take care of shoeing,” Thorin said.

“Because you hired me as a ranch hand,” Fili felt like he was stating the obvious.

Thorin just flapped a hand at him. “It’ll work out. Besides, you will be putting in your share of work during the round up.”

After they finished talking, Fili went back to his cabin. He lay back on his bed, hoping that Kili would bring out dessert as he so often did. He was wondering if he’d have a chance to steal a kiss when he dozed off. He didn’t even budge when Kili came in, kissed him lightly on the head, pulled his blanket up, and then left.   


	8. Blue

It had been a hot day, made worse by the forge. Fili was covered in sweat and horsehair, and really just wanted to get this one horse finished so he could go pick up the supplies he had ordered. He told himself he would not snap at the nice man, even though he wanted to tell him to get his overactive child and bad-tempered horse and get out.

He finished hammering the shoe into shape and quenched it. He approached the horse from the front, since he had already dodged three kicks. This time, she tried to bite him. He ducked and grabbed her bridle. “Look here, sweet pea, you’re going to wear your pretty new shoes. That’s it. So be still while we get them on.”

He tied her off again, this time with as short a lead as possible. That way she couldn’t swing her head to bite, or lower it to buck.

“That reminds me! I got to go get the missus her new dress! Do you know what Bilbo is bringing to the dance?” The man grabbed his son by the arm, pulling him back from the work area again.

Fili was only half listening, mainly trying to keep this hell-beast from killing him before he got her shod. Luckily, she was only trying to be obstinate now, instead of flat out rebellious. She was trying to prevent him from picking up her feet. That was an old trick, though, and one Fili knew how to handle.

“What dance is that?” he asked, pushing against the horse’s hip. When he felt her weight shift to the other side, he leaned down and easily picked up her leg. He tucked her hoof against his leg, using the angle and his hip to hold her there. He made sure the shoe was the proper fit, and then started to nail it down.

“The one before the round up,” the red haired man told him.

Around a few nails he held in the corner of his mouth, Fili said, “I’m not going, so you’ll have to ask Bilbo.” He couldn’t remember the man’s name.

“You have to go. Everyone goes. My wife is looking forward to meeting the town’s new farrier.”

Fili just shifted the nails in his mouth and gave a noncommittal grunt. He wished people would quit calling him that. If anything, he was the Arkenstone’s new farrier. He wasn’t even really that. He was a part time farrier and part time ranch hand. He didn’t even know how long this job was going to last. That thought made his chest tighten. Was he supposed to move on and find another job after the round up? He hadn’t had a chance to talk to Thorin about it. He was busy from morning to night for the past week or so. Taking care of Pete, doing farrier work, and trying to do as much work as he could around the ranch kept him running and tired. He hadn’t even had time to talk with Kili, except at meals and in passing.

His focus was abruptly brought back on the horse when she tried to shift around enough to pull her leg away. He secured his grip, and then finished hammering in the nails. Finally he was done. He let her have her leg back, and watched as the horse moved, making sure the shoe was secure. When he was satisfied, he untied the tether and handed her reins back to the man.

The man boosted his boy on to the horse, who of course was being a perfect angel now, and tried to hand a couple of bank notes to Fili.

“Didn’t you already pay Thorin?” Fili made no move to take the money.

“Yeah, but I know this mare can be difficult. This is for you.”

Smiling, Fili told him, “Thanks, but difficult horses are part of the job. I get my fair share of the cut. Thorin is a good man to work for.”

The man tucked the notes away, giving Fili an appraising look. “It was nice to meet you. We needed a farrier around here. See you at the dance!”

Fili hurried and got washed up, putting on clean clothes. He was on his way to the cabin when Bilbo called for him. The cook has a list of supplies that needed to be picked up from the store. Fili agreed to get them while he was in town, but the request made him a little frustrated. He wanted to take Pete, but he couldn’t if he was going to drive the wagon. Pete needed to be exercised, though.

Bofur saw Fili hurrying by, and called, “What’s the rush?”

“I have to go to town, pick up supplies, then get back and exercise Pete.” Fili kept walking.

“Hold up, I’ll go with you. You ride Pete, I’ll drive the wagon. We can visit Bombur and Bifur while we are in town.” Bofur laughed at Fili’s dubious look. “No drinking today. We have work tomorrow.”

Fili didn’t refuse the help. Maybe he’d get a chance to spend a little time with Kili tonight after all. He helped hitch the horses to the wagon, then got Pete saddled. They were headed out when Fili heard Thorin yell his name. With a sigh, he waved to Bofur to go on and turned Pete back.

Thorin walked up, holding out an envelope. “Do you want your share of the farrier money now? Or I can hold it until you get back.”

Fili had ordered a few things, and the money would be welcome. The envelope seemed a lot thicker than it should be, however. “Did you already take the money out for the supplies and tools?”

“I took my percent.” Thorin turned and walked away.

Fili watched him go for a second. Farriers usually bought their own tools and supplies. Thorin had offered to pay for them, since Fili didn’t have the money. Fili told him he would be repaid, but Thorin hadn’t taken it out yet.

He didn’t have time to deal with this now. He’d talk to Thorin when he got home. Fili nudged Pete into a trot after the wagon, standing up in the stirrups for a second to stuff the envelope full of money in a pocket.

Once they got to town, they went straight for the store. Fili went in to tell Bard they were there for the supplies, and for his personal items. He stopped inside the door, taking a deep breath.

“What is that smell?” Fili followed his nose, and found several small kegs of things.

“We got a shipment of spices in,” Bard came over, and started pointing a few out.

“Are they already sold? Or can I buy some?”

“These are available. The ones that are already sold are in back.”

Thinking quickly, Fili started listing off the spices he wanted, and what amounts. Then he added containers for the whole lot. He was getting enough to hopefully last a while, so they would need to be sealed.

Bard weighed and measured, then added the spices to Fili’s purchase. He settled his bill, and helped Bofur load the wagon. Fili took the opportunity to tuck his purchase behind the seat. He had forgotten the saddlebags in his haste.

After they got the supplies loaded, they went down the street to Bombur’s tavern. Bofur and Fili were both given a warm welcome, and they settled at the bar while Bifur was sent to get their meals.

They were still waiting when the doors opened to admit Legolas and his friends. Bofur muttered something under his breath, but Fili didn’t catch it.

Legolas made a beeline for Fili. He sat on the stool, sandwiching Fili between himself and Bofur. With a wide smile, he clapped Fili on the back, saying, “Imagine running into you here.”

Fili had a bad feeling about being trapped between the two men, especially when Bofur muttered something else. He was pretty sure the words “snake in the grass” were involved that time.

“It’s a small town, Legolas,” Fili said, giving the man and his friends a cool nod. “Everyone runs into everyone else eventually.”

“Indeed. A lot of people have been running into you lately. I’ve been hearing good things about our new farrier,” Legolas said.

Fili could practically feel the eyes crawling on him. Not only Legolas, although the tall man was doing enough of it. Everyone else in the bar was watching the exchange too.

“Well, I’m happy to have been of help,” Fili said, trying to end the conversation.

Apparently he was being too subtle for Legolas. Leaning closer to Fili, he said, “Why don’t I buy you that drink you promised me?”

Fili saw Bofur’s eyebrows pop up at that. He was thinking that was just great, now everyone would think he was hanging out with Legolas and his friends. The gossip mill would grind this up and spew it everywhere.

“Not today, thank you. I have to get back to work after dinner,” Fili politely declined.

“Really?” Legolas leaned against his shoulder and said, “Why don’t you come and work with us? Then you wouldn’t have to work all night.”

Fili said, “I’m not interested.”

“We could double your salary,” Legolas said.

“Poaching, Greenleaf? With your daddy’s money, at that,” Bofur spat.

Tilting his head to look around Fili, Legolas taunted, “I don’t consider it poaching, really. More like picking the choice bits off a carcass before the whole thing starts to rot.”

Fili heard someone across the bar say, “Oh, here we go.”

Fili looked at Bofur and said, “I feel like I should be insulted.”

“ _You’re_ insulted? You’re a choice bit. I’m being left to rot,” Bofur pointed out to Fili.

Legolas smirked at Bofur and said, “I consider you part of the carcass, old man.”

Bofur stood up, and said, “Who are you calling old?”

Legolas stood up, and so did his friends. He looked down his nose and told Bofur, “Old, and short.”

Fili stood up beside Bofur, thinking here we go, indeed. He wasn’t going to leave his friend and bunkmate facing three other men alone. Legolas smiled at him, but before anything else unfortunate could be said, Bombur was there in the middle of them all, wielding a machete.

“Not in my bar,” Bombur said in a quiet, deadly voice.

Legolas smiled at the round man, saying, “Apologies, Bombur. You’re right, of course. And apologies to you as well, Bofur. My tongue seems to have gotten away from me tonight.” He held his hand out to Fili.

Fili felt like he couldn’t do anything but take it. Instead of the quick handshake he had planned on, Legolas held his hand tightly, pulling him closer.

“We’ll have to have that drink sometime when we can be alone,” Legolas said. “Think about my offer. And save me a dance.” He dropped Fili’s hand and spun, leaving the bar without waiting for a reply from any of them. His friends trailed along behind him.

Bofur and Fili took their seats. “Why didn’t you tell me you were his friend?” Bofur asked.

Fili glanced around at the people in the bar. They were obviously trying to listen without being intrusive about it. “Can we talk about this later?”

“Fine, we’ll talk about it on the way home.”

Bifur finally brought the food. As they ate, Fili thought about something Legolas said. “Tell me about this dance people keep talking about.”

“It’s a bit of a tradition. There’s a big party before the round up. Everyone dresses nice and brings food, and they talk, eat, and have music and dance. It’s actually kind of fun,” Bofur explained.

“Everyone has to go?” Fili wasn’t sure about being stuck someplace with the entire town.

“Yep,” Bofur said. “It’s almost a superstition. Plus it never hurts to be on good terms with your neighbors. Thorin expects us to go too.”

Great. Fili hurriedly finished eating. He told Bofur he had one more errand to run and would be back soon. He rushed to Dori’s shop, hoping it was still open.

It was, but barely. “I was just closing up,” Dori said after greeting him with the customary hug. “What can I do for you?”

“It’s about this dance.” Fili said.

“Ah, yes, the dance. I was wondering if I’d see you, or if you already had something.”

“I don’t have anything. I don’t even know what to wear,” Fili admitted.

Dori looked him up and down, then asked, “Do you trust me?” I’ve still got your measurements. I can make you something and have it ready before the dance, if I don’t have to wait for you to come in and approve everything.”

“That would be fantastic,” Fili said. He was relieved. “Only, don’t make it too gaudy or anything.”

Dori looked a little offended. “I don’t do gaudy. I’ll make you look nice, especially since you are the new man in town. I imagine everyone will want to meet you.”

“You’re probably right.” Fili and Dori haggled a bit, then he paid for the clothes. After the hug farewell, he left.

Fili was worrying about the dance, and having to meet everyone in town. It didn’t sound like not going was an option, so he wanted to look halfway decent. If his name was going to be linked to Kili in the local gossip, at least maybe Kili wouldn’t be too ashamed if Fili looked like a reputable farrier instead of another ranch hand.

He was wondering if he’d be home in time to talk with Kili, so Fili never heard the footsteps behind him. He had no warning at all until there was a loud noise that sounded like someone rang his head like a bell, and then he was falling. He landed on his hands and knees and blinked, trying to clear his vision. It cleared just in time for him to see the boot coming towards his head. There was pain, and then everything went black.


	9. Suspicious Minds

Fili opened his eyes and saw Dori. He looked close enough to kiss. Why was Dori in his room?

“He’s awake,” Dori said.

Two more faces popped into view. Bofur and a strange man looked down at Fili.

Why were all these people standing around his bed? Fili’s head was killing him. He raised his hand and felt a knot on the side of his head. Suddenly he remembered what happened. He realized he wasn’t at home. He had no idea where he was, but it was a bedroom somewhere.

“How do you feel?” the stranger said.

Fili ignored him. “Where’s Pete?”

“Pete’s safe,” Bofur hurried to assure him. “He’s back at the tavern and Bifur is keeping an eye on him.”

That wasn’t good enough. Fili started to sit up, but his neck gave a twinge. He grabbed it, and Dori pressed him back down into the bed. Fili’s head was killing him, but he wanted his horse.

The strange man rummaged around in a bag, and brought over a bottle. “Here, take two swallows.”

Fili refused the bottle, and tried to get up again. Dori and Bofur pushed him back down.

“Fili, please, do as he says. That’s Oin. He’s the doctor,” Bofur said.

“Two large swallows, then you can get up.” The doctor held the bottle out again.

The easiest thing to do was drink the medicine, so Fili grabbed the bottle and took two large swallows. He nearly gagged.

“What is that?” Fili asked, handing the bottle back. The taste was still in his mouth and he shuddered.

“Laudanum. It will help with the headache. What happened?” Oin asked.

“I have no idea,” Fili said. He tried to remember. All that came to mind was pain and a boot.

Fili tried to sit up again. This time Bofur gave him a hand. In between the motion, his headache, and that taste in his mouth, he thought he was going to be sick. “Can I have some water or something?”

Dori handed him a cup of tea. Fili took a drink, grateful to get rid of that taste.

From somewhere outside the room, he heard Bard say, “How is he?”

“Shit.” Was everyone in town here? Fili wanted out, he wanted his horse, and he wanted to go home. He stood up and swayed.

“Get him home, Bofur,” Oin said. He gave a few instructions, but Fili paid no attention.

Fili slowly made his way out of the room. When he stumbled, Dori caught him, and helped him walk. His head was hurting less, but he felt like he was floating a little. It was probably the medicine.

“Are you okay, Fili?”

Looking up, Fili saw Bard and Legolas standing there. Just what he needed. He tried to quit leaning on Dori so much, but Dori wasn’t letting go.

“I’ll be fine,” Fili said. He kept moving, hoping he could get out of this house before one more person wanted to talk to him.

Legolas moved to his other side, telling Dori, “I’ve got him.”

Fili tried to wave him off, but swayed again. Legolas tucked him under an arm, and started walking out.

“What is Greenleaf doing here?” Bofur muttered.

“He was in the store when we heard Dori yelling,” Bard explained.

Fili was waiting for Legolas to say something, but he never did. Legolas ignored the exchange, and Fili didn’t mention it. Finally he made it outside. Fili tried to step away, but Legolas held on to him.

“I’ll make sure you get home, okay?” For once, Legolas did not have that slimy tease in his voice. He sounded almost tired.

“Bofur is going with me. I’ll be fine,” Fili said.

“Is Bofur armed? You aren’t.”

Fili wasn’t sure. He didn’t think Bofur had a gun. He definitely didn’t want to admit that in front of what seemed to be a crowd. He just shrugged. He looked around and realized he had no idea where he was. “Where is the tavern?”

“I can get a buggy to take you home. I’m sure Bombur will stable your horse for the night,” Legolas said.

“Over my dead body. Take me there,” Fili said. He thought about whistling for Pete, but he didn’t want Bifur to be startled when the horse suddenly took off. Plus his head still hurt, and he was sure that trying to whistle that loudly would be painful.

Legolas still kept him tucked under his arm, leading him by the hand like an invalid. After three other people asked if he would be alright, Fili decided that was enough. He shook the blonde off of him, and straightened up. Legolas reached for him again, and Fili held up a hand.

“I want my horse. Tell me which way the tavern is,” Fili said.

“You and that horse,” Legolas said under his breath. Louder, he said, “Fine. This way.”

At this point, Fili felt like he was in a parade. Legolas led the way, and Fili followed him. Dori and Bofur both walked close behind Fili. Behind them came Bard and the doctor. There were several people in a cluster behind them. Fili even recognized the little girl that had called him by name on his first visit to town. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. He just wanted away from all these people.

It seemed like miles, but they reached the tavern. Legolas tried to get him to go inside and rest, but Fili was done with everything. He kept walking around the building, and finally got to the small stable behind it. Sure enough, Pete was there, with the wagon full of their goods, and Bifur stood nearby.

“Thank you for watching out for him,” Fili told Bifur.

Bifur nodded, and then pointed at his own scar.

“I’ll be okay. I don’t think mine’s much to write home about.”

Bifur smiled and moved out of the way. When Fili reached for Pete’s reins, he found his arms grabbed. Legolas had one, and Bofur had the other.

“No,” Bofur said. “You’re riding in the wagon.”

“I’m fine,” Fili said.

“You’re not. You got knocked unconscious, you had a dose of laudanum, and you look like you might fall over,” Legolas said. “Either ride in the wagon with Bofur, or I really am going to take you home myself.”

Bofur’s mouth tightened, but he didn’t disagree. The thought of having to ride home with both of them made Fili feel tired. He nodded, and both men released him. He made sure Pete’s reins were securely tied to the back of the wagon, and then he crawled into the back and lay down. Something was poking him in the side, so he moved around a bit, trying to get comfortable. It was only then he noticed that his pockets were empty. He had been robbed. Fili sighed, and resolved to not go around unarmed again. He didn’t even have so much as a pocket knife with him.

“Are you okay back there, lad?” Bofur asked. When Fili nodded, he snapped the reins and the wagon started to move. Fili used a bag of flour as a pillow, and was asleep before they even got out of town.

Someone was calling Fili’s name. He didn’t want to wake up, but the voice was insistent. He opened his eyes, and saw Kili kneeling beside him.

“Hey. I guess I’m home,” Fili said, and started trying to sit up.

Kili gave him a hand until he was sitting in the back of the wagon. “How do you feel?”

“Like I wish people would stop asking me that. I’m fine,” Fili wanted to go lay down. That wasn’t an option, though. He had to help with the supplies, and get Pete settled for the night. Looking around, it dawned on him Pete was not there. “Pete!” Fili tried to get out of the wagon, but Kili stopped him.

“Pete’s fine,” Kili assured him. “Bofur is getting him into the corral, and making sure he gets fed. He’s being taken care of, I promise.”

Fili trusted Kili, he really did. Still, he had a knot of anxiety in his stomach that wasn’t going to go away until he saw that Pete was safe. Fili knew he was being irrational, but it didn’t make it any better.

“Do you know what happened?” Thorin asked from the side of the wagon.

With a bit of humor, Fili realized he had noticed the absence of his horse before he noticed the presence of the other people. Everyone on the ranch was there.

Rubbing his head, he replied, “I’m not sure. Someone kicked me, I think.” He squirmed a bit, uncomfortable with the reaction from everyone. He wondered if this was how actors felt while they were on a stage, and if so, why would anyone in their right mind do that willingly. “Scoot over, Kili, and I’ll start unloading the supplies.”

“Oh no you won’t!” Bilbo’s voice was indignant. Fili could only see Bilbo’s eyes peeking over the wagon’s edge from where he was sitting, so he just guessed the rest of the little man was indignant as well. “You are going to wash off that blood and go straight to bed, mister!”

“Blood?” Fili hadn’t even realized he had been bleeding. No wonder everyone looked so concerned. “It’s nothing. Head wounds always tend to bleed a lot.”

“I’m not even going to ask how you know that,” Kili said.

“I train horses. The horses don’t always appreciate it,” Fili was poking at the knot on his head. His head was throbbing, his mouth was dry, and he felt like the wagon might have run over him at some point. It was a decent sized knot, but Fili still said, “I’m fine. Really. I’ll wash up and get changed.”

“You will wash up and go to bed,” Bilbo insisted, but in a gentler tone. “I’ll send Ori out in a little while with some tea. Kili, you help Fili.”

Fili tried to object again, but everyone ignored him. Bilbo and Ori headed for the house. Dwalin and Balin started to unload the wagon. Thorin and Kili waited for Fili to get with the program. Fili rubbed a hand over his face and sighed.

“I need to check on Pete. Then I’ll get washed up,” Fili said. Kili started to say something, and Fili cut him off. “I know Bofur’s caring for him. I just want to see for myself.”

Fili scooted off the wagon, and walked to the corral. Kili and Thorin walked on either side of him. Once he saw Pete, he was able to relax a little. Leaning on the fence, Fili told Thorin, “I’ll be fine by tomorrow. I can still work.”

“No,” Thorin said. “Tomorrow you are staying in bed.”

Fili’s throat tightened. Ranch hands that couldn’t work swiftly became unemployed ranch hands. “People are bringing horses to be shod.” Did Thorin think he was too much trouble? He thought he’d at least be able to work until after the end of the round up.

“No, they aren’t,” Thorin said, still in that implacable tone. “Bombur will let them know not to come. You are staying in bed, and that’s final. Kili, you stay with him, and make sure he listens. Fili, we will talk again tomorrow after dinner.” He turned and walked away.

Fili watched him go with a sinking heart. He was completely broke again. No, he was worse than broke, because he still owed Thorin for the tools and supplies. Was he actually going to be forced to accept the job from Legolas?

“Fili? You ready to go clean up?” Kili said.

Cowboy up, Fili reminded himself. He had been through worse than this. If he had to work for Greenleaf to pay back Thorin and get enough money to go somewhere, then that is what he will do.

Fili squared his shoulders and turned to Kili. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Fili ended up gingerly washing his hair to get all the blood out. When he saw the back of his shirt, he understood why everyone had kept asking if he was alright. He knew that a little blood looked like a whole lot once it was on the outside. Even so, that was a fair amount he was washing down the drain.

He didn’t bother to try and comb his hair. It would hurt too much. So he wrapped a towel around his shoulders and headed out the door.

Kili was waiting for him outside. It had gotten dark, but Fili could still see his smile.

“You look better already,” Kili said.

“I’ll be fine to work tomorrow. I’ll tell Thorin in the morning,” Fili said.

“Why don’t you just relax? Look on the bright side! We get to spend the day together,” Kili said, still smiling.

Because I’d like to spend more than just a day with you. Because I was an idiot and took all my money to town with me and got robbed. Because everyone here will probably hate me when I go to work for Greenleaf. Because I wish I was something besides a broke saddle tramp and wouldn’t shame you if we were seen together. Because I am sick of moving around so much and want to find a home of my own. Because I like it here, the people are growing on me as long as I can get away from them. The reasons he couldn’t relax were just too long to name.

So, he just gave Kili a weak smile. “That sounds nice.”

They had barely gotten in the door when Bofur came in after them.

“Pete’s fine, before you ask,” Bofur said. “Here’s your satchel from the wagon, too.”

Fili had forgotten all about it. At least it hadn’t been stolen too. It made him sad, though, because there was one item in there he wouldn’t get to use. He thanked Bofur and stored it in his room.

“Also the doctor said for you to take a dose of this before bed,” Bofur handed him the laudanum.

Fili took the bottle, but decided he was going to hide it and forget it existed. That stuff was vile and made him feel funny. Before he got the chance, Kili took it from him and inspected it.

A sharp knock sent a spike through Fili’s head. Bofur opened the door and Ori came in. He was balancing a tray with a teapot, cups, and a few other things on it. Over one arm, he had a picnic basket.

“Bilbo sent some things in case you were hungry,” Ori set the tea on the table, and handed Bofur the basket.

“Or in case we decided to march to war,” Bofur said as he looked inside. “How hungry does he expect us to be?”

“That’s not for you,” Ori scolded and took the basket, handing it to Fili.

When Fili looked inside, he saw several sandwiches, different types of cookies, a jar of peaches, a loaf of bread, and a good sized chunk of ham. “Tell him I said thanks, Ori,” Fili said, passing the basket back to Bofur. “There’s enough to share, though.”

Ori was pouring the tea when Kili insisted Fili take a dose of the laudanum. Fili refused. This went back and forth for a while, with Ori and Bofur both watching with amusement. Eventually Kili browbeat Fili into taking half a dose. Making a face, he quickly took a gulp, and chased it with tea and a cookie.

Soon enough, he was dozing at the table. Kili noticed, and took him into the bedroom. Fili stripped down to his underwear, and collapsed on the bed. Kili bent and gave him a chaste kiss good night.

“I’m wounded. You should probably get in bed with me to make sure I don’t fall out of it in my sleep or something,” Fili said, catching Kili’s hand.

“You’ll have me all day tomorrow. Tonight you need to rest,” Kili told him. “I’ll be right outside if you need anything.”

Fili pouted a bit, but knew Kili was right. With another kiss, Kili left and pulled the door closed. Fili fell asleep with the muffled sounds of Bofur, Ori and Kili talking and laughing in the next room.


	10. Whenever You Come Around

It was still dark when Fili woke up the next morning. He sat up, and his head started to throb. He waited for it to subside a little, and then got up.

Someone had left the laudanum beside his bed. He shuddered at the memory of the taste. No more of that. He took the bottle and buried it deep in the trunk, under all of his clothes.

Fili got dressed, but this time he fastened a knife to his belt, and hid another one inside his boot. He may not always carry a gun with him, but he was determined to never be completely unarmed again. It had been foolish of him, and now he was paying the price. He had learned long ago that being unarmed makes you into a target. A certain type of person liked to kick dogs if they thought they wouldn’t be bitten. Just because no one on the ranch seemed to be like that doesn’t mean other people in the area were safe to be around.

He stopped and thought a minute. He still couldn’t recall any details of what happened. It might be easier to think if his head wasn’t pounding with every beat of his heart. He tried to remember the people he had seen. Dori and Bard, of course. Bombur and Bifur. None of them had been the one to kick him in the head, he was certain. But how many others had seen the money when he pulled it out to pay them? Lots of people were in the tavern when he paid for his meal. There had been other people in the store when he paid Bard. Any one of them could have seen a large amount of money on an unarmed man and been tempted. It was his own fault. He never should have taken all that money to town. They said a fool and his money are soon parted. He didn’t think this was exactly what they meant, but it still applied.

Regardless, it was gone. He needed to talk to Thorin. Thorin had always been fair with him so far. He’d explain that he would have to wait and pay him for the supplies and tools when he got a little more money. Surely he wouldn’t be thrown off the ranch if he still owed them money. Not when he was willing to work it off. He’d talk to Thorin and they would work it out. He’d just have to explain that he could still work, and that normally he wasn’t so much trouble.

Of course, normally he wasn’t trying to sleep with the boss’s nephew. And he didn’t normally owe his boss money. And he didn’t normally have the town troublemaker dogging his footsteps.

He wondered about that, too. Everyone seemed to have a lot of antipathy for the Greenleaf family. Admittedly, he had only met Legolas, so didn’t know anything about the rest of them. Legolas might be pushy, loud, and spoiled, but that didn’t explain why everyone acted like they hated him. Granted, it was difficult to actually like Legolas, but Fili didn’t mind him that much. He’d seen a lot worse.

Fili shook his head, pulling himself out of his thoughts. Standing here staring at the wall wasn’t getting anything accomplished.

In the main room, Kili was asleep on the floor. He had made a pallet, but was sprawled everywhere. Fili stoked the stove as quietly as he could, and put on some coffee. Then he slipped out and headed for the corral.

A cluck of the tongue brought Pete ambling over to the rail. Fili gave him a pat. Knowing that at least he still had Pete made him feel better. One day he’d save up enough money to be able to settle down somewhere. As long as he had Pete, he could find a job. He turned and went into the barn to grab a curry comb. Pete could stand a thorough grooming. Fili grabbed the comb and went back. He was swinging a leg over the top rail to climb in the corral when the thought hit him.

Why not stay here? Well, not here on the ranch, obviously. As much as this felt like home, it wasn’t. But why not stay in this area? They did need a farrier. If farrier work ran low, he could do other things.

There were several reasons that wouldn’t work, he reminded himself, the lack of funds being first among them. Fili sighed and dropped to the dirt inside the corral. He’d have to have something to live on if he wanted to start a business. Not to mention any supplies he would need, and a place to actually conduct the business itself. He started currying Pete.

He didn’t even know if Kili would want him around. Sure, the man acted interested in him, but for what? A quick roll in the hay a time or two? Maybe have some fun together for a while? They haven’t had a chance to talk about anything. They’ve barely had a chance to talk at all, since Fili was running himself ragged. They certainly hadn’t had a chance to repeat anything along the lines of what they did the night Fili got drunk.

Kili had said he wanted Fili. Did he still, though? Fili thought about last night’s peck on the lips, and Kili’s refusal to share his bed. Maybe he had changed his mind. Maybe Kili had said all those things about wanting him in the heat of the moment. Heaven knows he was acting emotional enough at the time. Maybe now that his blood had cooled, he didn’t mean them anymore. What if Fili was misreading everything and these were all just gestures of friendship?

Fili kept grooming Pete, lost in thought. Should he try talking to Kili about this? That might make Kili feel pressured into doing something. He didn’t want Kili to feel like he had to perform. He probably shouldn’t bring it up. He’d wait, and see if Kili acted differently. Kili might bring it up himself, if he was actually interested.

Without thinking about it, Fili bent over to check Pete’s hoof. A searing pain shot through his head. He raised a shaking hand and pressed it against his forehead. With a reminder that he has had much worse, he forced himself to keep grooming Pete.

He had finished Pete’s body, but just started to comb out his mane when he heard Kili calling him. He ducked under Pete’s neck to wave, and whistled. He didn’t want to shout, because he thought that would make his head hurt worse. The whistle hadn’t exactly done him any good.

Kili jogged over to the fence. “What are you doing?”

“Combing Pete’s mane,” Fili said, as if it wasn’t obvious.

“Why now?” Kili climbed over the fence railing, and jumped down to land in the dirt.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Kili came over and took the comb away from Fili. “You’re supposed to be in bed.”

“I’m fine, really. My head barely hurts anymore. I’ll be fine to work today. I need to talk to Thorin, too.” Fili reached for the comb.

Holding the comb back and away so Fili couldn’t get it, Kili said, “Well, will you come lay down with me for a minute then? My back is killing me from sleeping on the floor. Maybe you can rub it for me for a second before we start work.”

Fili knew he needed to finish combing Pete’s mane. Still, the temptation of getting Kili into his bed and being able to get his hands on the brunet, even if it was only for a backrub, proved too much. He nodded and was rewarded with a happy smile.

Once they got back into his room, Fili paused to kick off his shoes. Kili dropped on to the bed, laying on his back, and groaned.

“Roll over and lay on your stomach,” Fili told him. “I’ll rub your back for you.”

“I will in a second. This feels too nice right now. Come lay down with me?” Kili opened his arms.

Fili crawled into bed, and allowed Kili to pull him down. He wound up with his head pillowed on Kili’s chest.

Kili started rubbing Fili’s neck with one hand, and lightly trailing the fingers of his other hand over Fili’s eyebrows. “Doesn’t your head hurt?” Kili asked.

“Maybe a little. That feels nice, though.” Fili made a noise when Kili’s fingers hit an aching spot in his neck.

Kili kept rubbing, saying, “You need to relax.”

“Yeah, I know. I haven’t had the time to relax lately.”

“You have a little time now. Close your eyes for a minute. I’ll let you know when it is time to eat.”

So Fili closed his eyes. He told himself it would only be for a minute or two.

“Fili? It’s time to eat,” Kili said. “Bilbo’s here.”

A hand smoothed its way down Fili’s arm. He didn’t want to move, but opened his eyes. The sunlight streaming in the window startled him. It was still dark when he lay down. He must have fallen back to sleep.

“I’ll leave it on the table,” Bilbo said.

Fili turned to see Bilbo standing there with a tray. “What’s that?”

Bilbo answered, “Lunch. How do you feel?”

“Lunch? We missed breakfast?” Fili was dismayed. He was planning on talking to Thorin at breakfast. He wanted to see if Thorin would let him stay and work off the debt he owed, and instead had fallen back to sleep. Yeah, that was definitely not the way to show what a hard worker he could be. He sat up, swinging his legs off of the bed. He glared at Kili. “You told me you’d wake me for breakfast.”

“I told you I’d wake you when it was time to eat,” Kili said.

Fili grabbed his boots, asking Bilbo, “Where’s Thorin?”

“In one of the pastures. I’m not sure where,” Bilbo said. He marched over and pulled the boots away from Fili. “And even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you. You’re to stay in the cabin today.”

“You don’t understand. I need to talk to Thorin.” Fili felt like screaming.

Bilbo took a look at Fili’s face and frowned. “Kili, would you run to the house and grab the pie on the sill for me?”

When Kili left the room, Bilbo sat down next to Fili. When the door shut he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t think you would understand.” Of course Bilbo wouldn’t understand. Bilbo wasn’t the one in danger of being thrown out like old dishwater.

“Why don’t you explain it to me?” Bilbo asked. He started to rub circles on Fili’s back.

It reminded Fili of his mother. She used to do the same thing when he was overwrought. He still missed her. Sometimes he wondered what his life would be like if she were still alive.

Fili’s head was killing him. He was worried about this situation with Thorin. His mind kept returning to the uncertainty he felt with Kili. Now this memory of his mother was the last straw.

“I didn’t mean to sleep so late. Kili promised to wake me. I wanted to talk with Thorin and explain that I’m usually not this much trouble, I swear I’m not. And I know I owe him money but I can work for it. He doesn’t have to fire me. I can help with the horses and the round up, really.” Fili took a breath and whispered. “I don’t want to go.”

Bilbo looked a little alarmed. “Why is Thorin going to fire you?”

“Because I can’t work,” Fili said. “Or he thinks so, anyway. But I can work! I’ve gotten hurt a lot worse than this, and it’s never stopped me before. I kept working then, too.”

“I bet you did,” Bilbo murmured, “poor boy.” Bilbo was finally starting to understand. He gave Fili a sympathetic look.

Fili was staring at his feet and missed it. “I don’t want to have to work for Legolas and his pa.” He suddenly remembered that he was talking to the ranch cook and Thorin’s love. “I will if I have to though. I promise I’ll pay Thorin back.”

Bilbo decided to address what seemed to be the most important issue first. He kept rubbing circles on Fili’s back as he said, “You don’t have to go anywhere. No one is getting fired.”

“No point in having a ranch hand that can’t work.” Fili sounded so matter of fact. “That’s why I need to speak with Thorin. I was hoping to catch him at breakfast, but Kili didn’t wake me.” That hurt. Why had Kili lied about that? If he had lied about that, what else was he lying about?

“He was doing what he thought was best. You’re supposed to rest today,” Bilbo said.

“Why didn’t he ask me instead of just doing what he decided was best?” Fili was trying to keep his voice impassive, but it wasn’t working very well.

“The doctor is the one who said you should rest today.”

“The only thing he doctor knows about me is I got hit in the head. He doesn’t know anything about my life or what I might need. I thought Kili did,” Fili said. Again, he reminded himself that he was talking to Thorin’s love. “Please don’t say anything.”

“I won’t, I promise,” Bilbo said. “Maybe you should talk to Kili about it.”

Fili shrugged. “Done is done.” He looked up to see Bilbo staring at him with a troubled expression. He didn’t like seeing the cook look so bothered. He gave the man a smile, hoping he’d cheer up a little.

It didn’t work. Still troubled, Bilbo said, “He didn’t mean anything by it, I’m sure.”

That was worse. That Kili lied to him was bad enough. That Kili lied and it didn’t mean anything, it was unimportant, nothing special, that was somehow worse.

He didn’t say so, however. He wanted Bilbo to cheer up, so Fili just smiled and agreed.

There was a tap on the cabin door, and it opened. Kili was back with the pie.

Bilbo was still looking at Fili. “If I promise to send Thorin out here as soon as he gets back, will you rest?”

Fili hated being cooped up, and didn’t like the idea of staying in bed. Still, he agreed to the bargain.

After lunch, Bilbo asked Kili to help him carry the dishes back to the main house while Fili took a nap. Bilbo was washing them when Kili asked, “What did Fili say while I stepped out?”

Bilbo wanted to tell him. He thought of how brokenhearted Fili looked, and how his trust had been shaken with just a white lie. Fili was as skittish as one of the wild horses. Bilbo didn’t want to break that trust.

“Why don’t you ask him?” Bilbo turned back to the dishes.

“Oh, come on Bilbo, you can tell me,” Kili cajoled as he started to dry the dishes Bilbo was handing him.

“No,” Bilbo’s voice was sharper than he intended. In a softer tone, he said, “You should talk to him.”

Kili looked at him for a second, then agreed. After the dishes were done, he went back out to the cabin. Fili was asleep though, so he left and went back to the main house. He thought he’d help Bilbo make some cookies or something.

Fili had been dozing when he heard the door open. Eating lunch had made his head feel a little better. It wasn’t pounding as badly, but it still hurt. Keeping his eyes closed was helping too. He heard Kili’s soft whisper, but he stayed still. He wasn’t sure what to say to Kili yet. If Thorin wanted him to leave, there might not be a point in saying anything at all. So he kept quiet and let Kili go back to the main house.

Fili stayed in bed, thinking about what he would say to Thorin, and what he might say to Kili if he got a chance. He must have dozed off again, because the next thing he knew, there was a sharp rap on the door and the angle of the sun had changed.

When he opened the door, Thorin was standing there. He invited the tall man in, but then didn’t remember what he had planned on saying.

“Bilbo told me you needed to talk to me,” Thorin said. “Sit down and let me see your head while you talk.”

So Fili took a seat, and let Thorin prod at his skull. He figured that a direct approach was probably the best.

“I wanted to talk to you about the money… ouch, that smarts.” Fili started. Thorin was trying to be gentle, but he was still poking at the injury and it hurt.

“Bofur mentioned that Greenleaf offered you a job,” Thorin said. He quit poking at Fili’s head and took a seat. “Are you asking for a raise?”

“What? No,” Fili said. “It’s about the money that I owe you. I can work it off. This bump on the head isn’t anything, and I can…”

“Stop,” Thorin interrupted. Fili was sure his heart froze with that word. “What are you talking about?”

“I can still work,” Fili tried to explain. “I didn’t have to stay home today. I would have been fine. Even if I felt bad, Pete would never let me fall out of the saddle if he could stop it.”

Thorin was staring at him like he had started speaking in tongues. Fili was starting to get uncomfortable. A part of his mind noted how alike Thorin and Kili looked when they wore that expression.

“I know you can work.” Thorin sounded like he was trying to explain something to a small child. “Why couldn’t you?”

“Everyone wanted me to stay in the cabin today. No one would let me work,” Fili said.

“That’s only one day, Fili. And what money are you talking about?”

“The money I owe you.”

“What money is that?”

Fili’s head was starting to throb again. Maybe that’s why this conversation was hard to follow. He felt so confused. “The money for the tools and supplies. I’ll pay you back, or I can work it off.”

“You don’t owe me any money,” Thorin said. He was looking as confused as Fili felt. “I told you I took my percentage out already.”

“Yes, but I meant for the supplies. Remember? You bought a new rasp and materials from the smith.” Now Fili felt like he was the one trying to explain things. Why were people so hard?

“I know. I took out my percentage. We agreed to split everything 65/35, didn’t we?”

“The profits, yeah.” Fili ran a hand through his hair, hissing when he hit the wound. He had forgotten about it for a second.

“No, Fili, everything. I am already taking 35 percent of the money for letting you use the shed,” Thorin said, now looking a little sheepish. “That’s money I am getting for basically nothing. I’m not going to expect you to completely fund the whole operation while I sit there and skim off the top.”

“So I don’t owe you any money?” Fili wanted to make sure.

“No, you don’t owe me anything,” Thorin said.

“And I’m not fired?” Fili wanted everything to be perfectly clear. He was sick of feeling confused.

With a smile, Thorin told him, “I was hoping I could talk you out of taking Greenleaf’s offer. You aren’t fired.”

Relief flooded Fili, to the point where he felt slightly nauseous. “I’ll be back to work in the morning.”

“Why don’t we wait and see how you feel? Then we will decide if you are working tomorrow.”

“I’ll be fine, I want to work.” Fili was tired of this business of being at home sick. It was boring and entirely too emotionally draining.

Thorin gave a noncommittal grunt, and rose to leave. “We’ll talk in the morning.”

After seeing Thorin out, Fili went back and lay down again. His head felt a lot better, and he reasoned that stress had been making the ache worse. He fell asleep again, only waking a little when he heard the dinner bell ring. He rolled over and slipped back to sleep.  

Shortly after that, Bofur came home, carrying a covered plate for Fili. He woke the sleeping blonde with a gentle nudge.

“I’m to watch you eat, then take the plate back to Bilbo. He expects you to eat everything, he says,” Bofur informed Fili.

Fili eyed the mound of food, and doubted he could eat all of it. Why the entire ranch wasn’t as round as Bombur was a mystery. His eye fell on his satchel, and he suddenly remembered one of the parcels inside. He had thought he might not get the chance to pull it out, but there was no time like the present.

He handed his plate back to Bofur, and rummaged in the bag. He found the narrow package to one side. Fili pulled it out, and traded it to Bofur for his plate. “I got you something when we were in town,” he explained.

Bofur grinned, and pulled open the twine around the package. “Why’d you go and do that? It’s not Christmas.” His face fell when he got it open and saw it was a book. “Fili, that’s cruel. I told you I can’t read.”

“No, wait, it’s a primer,” Fili hurried to explain. “I was thinking that when we have a little time, I could teach you. I mean, if you want me to.” He hadn’t even thought that maybe Bofur didn’t want to learn to read.

“You’ll teach me?” When Fili nodded, Bofur lit up with a huge smile again. “And I can read notes and stuff?”

“You’ll be able to write them too. That’s part of the deal,” Fili said.

Fili nearly dropped his plate when Bofur caught him in a bear hug. He returned it with one arm as best as he could.

“When can we start?” Bofur sat on the bed and started thumbing through the book.  


	11. Something Like That

Fili woke up when the rooster crowed the next day. His head still hurt, but he was feeling a lot better. He certainly felt well rested. In between napping yesterday and going to bed early, he had snoozed more than he wanted to admit.

He smiled at the papers stacked on the table. He had been showing the primer to Bofur when Kili came in. After watching for a moment, he left. When he returned, Kili’s hands were full of paper, pencils, a slate and an old children’s picture book he had found somewhere. Fili had written out the alphabet and Bofur spent time copying it, repeating the letters under his breath while he wrote them out.

Before he left, Kili pulled Fili outside, and told him, “You shame me. I never would have thought to stop and teach Bofur to read.” He gave Fili a long hug, eventually pulling back and telling him, “You’re a good man, Fili. Good night.” He gave Fili a quick kiss on one overheated, blushing cheek, then turned and left.

Fili blushed again now, thinking of it. He still had no idea where he stood with Kili. He’d have to find a time to be able to talk with him.

After getting dressed and starting coffee, Fili headed out to Pete’s corral. Pete was already waiting by the grain bucket. He stuck his nose in it when he saw Fili, as if to point out that it was empty.

Laughing, Fili told the horse, “Be patient. I heard the rooster too.”

He went and mixed up the grains, and fed Pete and the horses in the stalls too. He took the chance to check Chari’s hoof again, but she looked fine. The thrush wasn’t coming back.

After getting everyone fed and watered, Fili went after his own breakfast. He was sitting at the table with everyone when Bilbo told him, “I want you to stay around the house today.”

“Why?” Fili asked. “I’m fine to work.”

“Then stay around the house and work here. Humor me,” Bilbo was insistent.

Fili looked at Thorin, who told him, “Don’t look at me. Bilbo just lets me think I’m in charge. His word is law around here.”

“As long as you remember that, we’ll get along just fine,” Bilbo told Thorin with a smile, and then dropped a kiss on the tall man’s head.

Fili couldn’t help but grin. It was a good thing Thorin was sitting down. Or maybe Bilbo could have stood on the chair. He hid his grin under a napkin when he saw Kili’s long suffering look.

“Why don’t you look over the corrals today, Fili?” Thorin asked. “See if there needs to be any repairs before the round up.”

“Sure thing,” Fili said. He grabbed a biscuit and headed out the door, shaking his head and smiling at Bilbo being such a mother hen.

He was halfway across the yard when he heard someone call his name. Ori came jogging up, panting. “I’m supposed to make notes about what we need for repairs,” Ori explained a bit breathlessly.

“Where’s your paper?” Fili smiled when Ori turned red. “You don’t need to follow me, Ori. I promise I am just going to the corral, okay? I’m fine, my head hardly hurts.”

Ori looked relieved when he nodded. Fili watched him walk back to the house for a second, and then continued on his way.

Fili walked around, checking fencing and rails, seeing what would hold and what would need to be replaced. Shortly they would be running quite a few cattle through here. Cows were not too smart, and would probably run into the rails of the corrals several times. He also checked the squeeze chute, a small passage where cows would be held one at a time and given any medications they might need, checked out to make sure they were healthy, that sort of thing. It was called a squeeze chute because one side of it could be widened or narrowed, to press against the side of a cow. Fili made sure that sliding wall was well oiled, so it could be moved as needed.

He smiled when he was oiling it. When he was small, his mother had called it a cow hugger. She had pointed out how the cows always calmed down when the wall pressed against him, and told him it was because they thought they were being hugged. Of course now he knew better, but he secretly thought cow hugger was cuter than squeeze chute.

Fili made doubly sure that the rails on the chute alley were secure. These would be funneling all the cattle into the squeeze chute. The last thing they needed was for one of those to be knocked loose. While he was at it, he checked to make sure there wasn’t anything caught or hanging on the fencing that might scare the cattle. He wanted this round up to be as calm and as smooth as possible for the cows. That would make his job a lot easier.

He saved Pete’s corral for last. He was checking out the gate when Kili and Ori walked up. He waved a greeting, and kept looking at the hinge he was inspecting. He thought it would be fine, but it should definitely be replaced after the round up. Kili and Ori climbed up to sit on the rails, munching on cookies. After finishing up, Fili walked over and took a cookie when Kili offered it.

“Fili, how many tricks does Pete know?” Ori asked.

“I’m not really sure,” Fili answered. “Pete, any idea how many tricks you know?” A subtle hand signal and Pete shook his head no.

“Well, what did you first teach him?” Kili was curious now too.

“After I broke him to a saddle, I taught him voice training. He’s also trained on hand signs. Then he learned cutting and roping, all the things he needs for work. After that he learned the fun things.” Fili tried to think.

“What do you mean, voice trained?” Ori asked, and Fili started to feel like he was teaching a class. He didn’t mind, but it was funny to think of the two grown men as his students.

“Watch.” Fili walked to the center of the corral. “Pete, look.” After he was certain he had the horse’s attention, he said, “Pete, walk.” Pete started walking towards Fili. “Gee.” Pete turned right. Fili let him walk a few steps, and then told him, “Whoa.” Pete stopped. Fili clucked his tongue, and Pete came to him. Fili gave him a pat on the neck.

Ori and Kili were both grinning. “You actually taught him all of that? By yourself?” Ori asked.

“Yep,” Fili said. “After we get the round up done, we can get some horses in here. When I teach them, you can come and help if you want. You could train a horse like Pete.” Probably not exactly like Pete. Pete was smart, for a horse. He was also born and raised on a ranch. If Ori decided to train a wild horse, it wouldn’t learn quite as many things as Pete, but it would serve Ori.

“I don’t think I could do that,” Ori stared at him, wide eyed.

“Well, consider it. I’ll be happy to help,” Fili said.

“Bilbo sent us to fetch you. We were told to make sure you wash and get off the horsehair before lunch,” Kili said, imitating Bilbo.

Fili feigned a hurt expression. “Don’t listen to them, Pete. I know you only shed on me because you love me. Gimme a kiss.” He pointed to his cheek. Pete missed, and ended up lipping his hair a little too enthusiastically. Fili was pretty sure he had horse drool dripping down his neck. With a wave, he went to wash up.

After lunch, Fili was again restricted to the immediate vicinity. He tried to insist that he was fine, and was ignored. He was bored, so he went to his room, thinking he would practice his rope work. When his eyes fell on the satchel, he changed his mind.

Grabbing the bag, he took it with him back to the main house. He found Bilbo in the kitchen and asked if he could get a few things. They gathered what he needed, and Bilbo told him to help himself if he wanted anything else.

Fili sorted through the small containers from his bag, finding the spices. While he was mixing things together, he asked Bilbo, “Can you tell me about this dance everyone keeps talking about?”

“What do you want to know?”

“Well, who will be there? People keep telling me everyone goes,” Fili said as he stirred.

“That’s right,” Bilbo told him. “Everyone in town goes. We have a potluck dinner, and people play whatever instrument they can. It’s mainly an event to socialize and gossip.”

Wonderful. He’d be right at the top of the gossip list too, in between being fairly new and getting knocked in the head.

“Am I supposed to bring anything for the potluck?” Fili asked, as he was pouring his batter into the waiting pans.

“No, I’ll bring something for the ranch,” Bilbo said.

Thinking of the dance, he remembered when Legolas asked him to save one for him. “Why does everyone hate Legolas so much?”

Bilbo was unfazed by the abrupt topic change. “They don’t hate him, exactly. They hate his father and it sort of trickles down. It doesn’t help when Legolas starts acting all ornery.”

“He wants me to dance with him,” Fili mused out loud.

“Well,” Bilbo’s voice was careful, “if you want, that would be fun. He’s a fine dancer. But if he shows too much of an interest in you, his father is going to notice. And Thranduil tends to hate the things that Legolas likes.”

“I don’t much care who hates me or likes me,” Fili said as he slid the pans into the hot oven.

“You should,” Bilbo’s voice was serious, and it made Fili pause and look at him. “People in the community are usually safe from his shenanigans. Ranch hands travel a lot, though, and sometimes it can be hard to keep track. They might go missing one day, and who is to say if they have moved on or not? Then there is that damned rodeo he throws every year after round up.”

“Is it true that he kills people at the rodeo?”

“Who knows,” Bilbo rolled his eyes. “If we could prove it, we could stop it. So far it’s been a series of unfortunate accidents.”

“If people keep dying, why do they keep participating?”

“Because he pays,” Bilbo said. “He’s got the money to pay for large prizes. When someone wins, he pays fair and square. If someone dies, it was an accident, these things happen, terribly sorry.”

Fili remembered what the prize was just for the bull riding. If Greenleaf really paid out purses like that, he must be rich indeed.

“Why don’t you go and relax a while? I’ll take your pans out of the oven when they are ready,” Bilbo said. Fili thanked him and headed to his cabin.

There was no way he was spending time cooped up in the cabin again. Besides, that wouldn’t be very relaxing. He grabbed his rope and stepped outside. He started practicing, twirling the lasso in the air, then lowering it until it was spinning around his feet, just a few inches from the ground.

Kili came and watched a few minutes. “Where did you learn to do all of that stuff with a rope?”

Fili was concentrating on the rope and absent mindedly answered, “On my first job, there was an old vaquero. He taught me trick roping. Before that, my pa taught me the basics.”

“How old were you when you had your first job?”

“I was fourteen.” Fili concentrated, and nimbly jumped over the spinning lasso, keeping it spinning to one side of his feet now. He started pulling it up, until it was flying overhead again.

“Isn’t that kind of young?”

The question made Fili pay attention. He didn’t want to talk about the past. “I could teach you.”

“I’m not really good with roping. More like flinging the rope and hoping it does something useful,” Kili said with a smile.

“That’s just because no one taught you right.” Fili let the lasso fall, and coiled up the rope again. “Watch what I do.” Fili started twirling the rope overhead. “See how my hand is moving? And the wrist motion?” He stopped and handed the rope to Kili. “You try.”

Kili started off holding the rope fine, but barely got it overhead before it snarled and landed around his neck.

“You need to twist it between your fingers,” Fili showed him a hand movement.

Kili nodded and tried again. This time the lasso made one complete circuit before snarling around his arm. He looked helplessly at Fili.

Fili grinned at the pitiful expression. “Here, give me the rope and come stand close behind me.” Kili stood a few feet away. “No, come closer, right behind me.” When Kili moved up, Fili raised his arm. “Watch my hand.” He started swinging the lasso overhead, keeping his arm high enough so it wouldn’t hit Kili in the head. “See how I’m rolling the rope?”

“No, I think I need a different angle,” Kili said, then pressed himself against Fili’s back, wrapping his arms around the shorter man’s waist.

Surprised, Fili tangled the rope around his arm. He hadn’t done that in years. Of course, he hadn’t had anyone plastered against him like that while he was trying to swing a rope, either. He looked over his shoulder, and Kili caught his face with one hand, leaning in to kiss him. One gentle kiss turned into two.

Kili stepped around so he was face to face with Fili. He put his hands on the blonde’s shoulders and kissed him again.

Fili dropped the rope to the ground and lightly gripped Kili’s hips. Kili took this as encouragement and stepped closer, pressing tight against Fili. He deepened the kiss, and ran his hands up Fili’s neck, into his hair. Fili jerked away hissing when Kili hit the sore spot on his head.

“Oh crap, I’m sorry, I forgot! Are you okay?” Kili grabbed Fili’s shoulders again, trying to inspect the wound.

“I’m fine, it’s just tender,” Fili assured him. He caught Kili around the waist, pulling him close once more. “Another kiss will make it stop hurting.”

Kili obliged him with a smile. They stood in the yard, kissing, until they heard Bofur singing in the distance. They stopped kissing, and Kili gently bumped his forehead into Fili’s. Still holding him close, Kili murmured, “Don’t get caught in the yard with your pants down.” They shared a rueful smile.

Ori called Fili’s name. Fili stepped away from Kili, thinking he was glad they had the cabin blocking the view from the house, or he and Kili would have been putting on a show. Kili’s hands lingered on his shoulders, only dropping away when there was too much distance between them.

Ori came around the corner of the cabin. “There you are! Bilbo says your cake is ready and cooling on the sill in the kitchen.”

Fili knew his face was flushed, and felt the color worsen when Ori peered at him and asked, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. I wish everyone would quit asking me that though. I was just teaching Kili how to work a rope,” Fili tried to change the subject.

“You were certainly teaching me something, all right,” Kili said with a wide smile.

Fili felt like his face would catch on fire. “I better go get my gingerbread from the window and see if Bilbo needs anything.” He fled to the house chased by Kili’s soft laugh, leaving his rope forgotten in the dirt.

After dinner, they were all on the porch eating Fili’s gingerbread for dessert. Bilbo had supplied whipped cream and berries to go with it. Fili was feeding a bit of it to the dog when Thorin told him, “This is really good.”

“You should see what I can do with a dutch oven,” Fili said with a smile. “I can make some of the best deer chili you’ve ever tasted.”

“Where did you learn to cook?” Bilbo asked.

“I’ve picked it up here and there,” Fili shrugged. “Mostly from men I have worked around.”

“Well, thank you for making it,” Bilbo said. “It’s delicious.”

Thorin switched the subject, asking about the corral fencing. Fili wound up talking with him until it was getting rather late. With some chagrin, Fili realized that Kili had already retired to his cabin, and was probably asleep. Disappointed, Fili headed to his own cabin to turn in for the night.


	12. The Dance

Fili felt like a damned fool. He didn’t know what he had been thinking. He certainly didn’t know what Dori had been thinking. He wasn’t used to wearing clothes like this. He finished with his tie, and looked down at himself.

Black trousers with a matching jacket, dove grey vest, and white shirt was the outfit. He had a grey teck tie, because he had flat out refused to mess with that puffy cravat Dori tried to make him wear. It was bad enough having to deal with the suspenders instead of a belt like a normal person.

He adjusted the tie again, and nervously ran a hand over his hair. He had the top part pulled back into a braid to keep it off his face. The bottom was loose and trailing down his back. Now he was lamenting that he hadn’t bought a new hat. With that too bright, too long hair, he was going to stick out like a sore thumb. He could have hidden under a hat, at least a little.

Wondering if it was too late to feign a broken leg, he bent over and adjusted his trouser legs. When he straightened back up, he fixed the tie again. The stupid thing wouldn’t stay put.

There was a knock on the door, and Ori cracked it open. “Fili? Are you almost ready? Dwalin’s gone to get the wagon.”

“I can’t get my tie to stay straight,” Fili groused.

Ori looked him up and down, smiling. “You look amazing.”

“I look like a preacher that ran away with the collection basket after knocking up half the girls in town,” Fili said.

Ori frowned as Fili messed with the tie again. “Wait, stay here, and don’t go anywhere, okay?” He ran out the door.

Fili smoothed down the vest. Why was he even wearing it? He wasn’t a reputable farrier, he was a cowboy, a wrangler, a ranch hand. He should have just stuck to what he knew.

The door flew open and Ori came back in, panting. He held something small up triumphantly. “Found it!”

“What is it?” Fili looked at Ori’s outstretched hand. It was a small tie tack, with a turquoise set in silver.

“I want you to have it,” Ori gestured for Fili to hold still.

“I can’t take that,” Fili said, stepping away instead.

“Yes you can. I never wear it, and the stone matches your eyes. It’s a gift. Now hold still,” Ori said, grabbing Fili’s tie. He straightened it out and fastened the tie tack. Stepping back, he looked Fili over again. “You look very nice, Fili.”

“Well, I feel like an idiot. Let’s get this over with,” Fili took a deep breath, and opened the cabin door.

He had saddled Pete before he took a bath so he wouldn’t be entirely covered in horse hair and left him grazing outside the cabin. Fili caught Pete’s reins and led him over to the wagon. He was messing with a strap when he heard a noise behind him. He turned around and Kili was standing a few feet away, staring at him. Their eyes met when he looked up and Fili wondered if Kili had been staring at his ass.

“You look…” Kili’s eyes raked up and down Fili again and he lost his train of thought.

“Stupid? Ridiculous? Cause that’s how I feel,” Fili smoothed his hair, and could feel his face flame when Kili watched his hand travel across the braid. He ducked his head, wishing he had left his hair loose so it would hide his burning ears, at least.

Kili stepped closer, and in a low voice said, “I was going to say handsome. Or marvelous, wonderful, splendid. You look good enough to make me forget the words I was going to use.”

Fili wondered if it was possible for someone to blush all over their body at once, because that’s how he felt. He ducked his head and rubbed a hand awkwardly over the back of his neck. Staring at Kili’s feet, he mumbled, “You look good too.”

Kili was wearing a brown suit with a cream colored shirt. His tie was deep red, and his vest was the same color. On anyone else the outfit might have looked drab. On Kili it only accented his already long legs, wide shoulders, and slim waist. The brown color made it look like Kili’s eyes were almost glowing and they seemed to brighten when he smiled. His hair was pulled back into a pony tail low at the back of his neck.

Fili didn’t know how long he and Kili stood there staring at each other before Dwalin walked between them. The big man slapped them both on the shoulder, saying, “You look grand, the both of you. Now mount up.”

Fili could feel his face flare back up, but Kili was unabashed. Burning face or not, he paused for a moment to watch Kili swing into his saddle. Silently, he thanked Dori and his tailoring skills for those brown trousers. After he swung up on Pete, he caught Kili looking away with a flush spreading across his cheeks. He added another silent thank you for his own trousers.

When they got to town, they left the horses by Bombur’s closed tavern, and walked the rest of the way. Everyone had to carry something because Bilbo had brought a massive amount of food.

The party was underway when they arrived. An area had been cleared under a massive oak, and tables were set out. The clearing was lit with lamps, and bunting decorated the tree and tables. Off to one side were chairs and a few smaller tables which had already been claimed by some of the elderly in town. At the end of the clearing was a makeshift stage. It looked like Bombur had rolled the upright piano from the tavern. Bifur was playing a tune, and a few people were dancing by the stage.

Bofur ruined Fili’s plans for a quiet entrance when he started loudly calling to people he knew. Fili ruefully told himself he should have known better anyway. The next thing he knew, he was surrounded by people he had met once or twice, all of them bringing along a spouse or friend who wanted to meet him too. He was totally overwhelmed. He didn’t even bother trying to remember the names that were coming at him in a rapid fire pace. With everyone chattering, children running around screaming, people shouting at the deaf old lady sitting at a nearby table, Fili started to sweat.

This whole thing had been a horrible idea. He was ready to go home and get away from all these people. He had been to bigger cities before, on trail drives and business. Theoretically he knew there were hundreds, sometimes thousands of people in those cities. He usually stayed with the stock, though, or in a stock yard. He didn’t go to crowded places and parties. He certainly wasn’t expected to make small talk with people. Now he felt at a loss, surrounded by all these townsfolk who wanted to chat with him and be friendly. He almost wanted to be hit in the head again; at least he knew how to handle that situation.

Some of this must have shown on his face, because Kili showed up and took his arm. After making some polite excuses, Fili found himself pulled away to go get a drink. They each grabbed a glass of punch, and then stepped to the side, out of the way and away from the main body of people.

“You’ll have to forgive the enthusiasm. Everyone is just happy that we have a new farrier. It doesn’t hurt that you’re also easy on the eyes,” Kili said, trying to get Fili to relax a little. “Pretty soon the new will wear off and you’ll be just another pretty face.”

Fili returned his smile, but still was uncomfortable. “Why does everyone keep calling me that?”

“What?”

“The town’s new farrier.”

“What else are they supposed to call you?” Now Kili looked confused.

“Thorin’s new ranch hand. The Arkenstone’s new farrier. I don’t know,” Fili couldn’t explain why it made him so uneasy. Maybe because he found the idea appealing but had no way to make it into a reality. It was like being teased with something you wanted but were unable to grasp.

Ori interrupted the conversation. “Fili! Have you met Nori yet?” He motioned to the man beside him.

“Norberto Delgado, but please call me Nori. I’m Ori’s brother. I’ve heard good things about you,” Nori said, extending a hand.

Unsure what to say to that, Fili just mumbled a greeting and shook the man’s hand. He was saved from chit chat when Bofur came up, smiling at Nori. Fili saw that smile and the expression Bofur wore, and realized he was smitten. He’d have to ask about it when they had a little privacy.

Speaking of privacy, it looks like the moment he had with Kili was over. The little girl that Fili always saw around town came running up, yelling “Kili!” She threw herself at Kili’s legs, giving him a hug. She started babbling something that Fili mostly ignored. He heard his own name though, and it drew his attention. She asked again, “Will you dance with me?” and gave Fili a pleading look.

Amused, Fili swept low in a courtly bow, and told her, “It would be my pleasure, miss.” He held out an arm, and she sedately took it, but ruined the illusion with a high pitched giggle. Once he escorted her to the dance floor, he instructed her to stand on top of his boots. He made sure to have a good grip on her so she wouldn’t trip and then danced her around in an elaborate reel.

Fili smiled at her laughter, thinking that it reminded him of his sister. She even had the same towhead hair his sister once had. It shocked him to realize that if his sister were alive, she would be much older than this little girl by now. She might have had a little girl of her own.

When the dance ended, the child pulled him by the hand back to Kili. Fili reclaimed his drink and was taking a swallow when she announced loudly, “I can’t marry you when I grow up now, Kili. I’m going to marry Fili instead so we can have lots of pretty blonde babies.”

With that, she skipped off, leaving Fili choking on his drink and the other men staring after her. When his airway cleared, Fili asked, “Is she always so… precocious?”

“Most of the time she’s worse,” Ori muttered.

A loud burst of laughter caught his attention, and Fili looked across the clearing to see Legolas standing with someone who had to be his father. The same willowy build, straight blonde hair, and pale skin marked them as kin. Legolas glanced around and saw Fili. He smiled and waved, but didn’t come over. Fili was glad since he didn’t want another altercation between Legolas and Bofur. Fili nodded a greeting then turned away.

Seeing the Greenleafs, an idea planted itself as a seed and started to grow. He liked it here, and wanted to stay. The town needed a farrier. All he needed was the money for a startup capital, and he could be that farrier. Thranduil had plenty of money. So much, in fact, that in a couple of weeks he would be giving it away. Lots of it, as a matter of fact. Fili had once told Legolas that they didn’t have anything he couldn’t ride, and he’d stick by those words.

Bofur clapped Fili on the back, pulling him out of his reverie. With a wide grin, he told Nori, “We can’t let this one show us up! Shall we?” He copied Fili’s bow, and extended an arm. Nori took it and they went to dance.

Ori leaned closer to Fili, telling him, “You should circulate some. If you don’t people are probably going to try and find you sooner or later.”

Fili was perfectly content here, behind the tables and half hidden by the oak. He saw Ori’s point, however. He didn’t relish the idea of being hunted down by people, so he might as well get it over with. He squared his shoulders and nodded. He had to admit he was relieved when Ori and Kili followed him to rejoin the party, though.

He wasn’t sure what he had been dreading, but it didn’t happen. The evening was pleasant, almost. Fili was still uncomfortable around a lot of people, but once he stopped to talk with some of them, they started drifting away. There was a tense moment when he was called upon to be a judge of the best bread pudding, but after he tentatively pointed to one, the loser took it with grace. Of course, after that he was told that he needed to try someone’s strawberry pie, then a cake, and be sure to taste this egg custard. Now he felt stuffed and slightly sick from all the sweets people had pressed on him.

Ori had wandered off, but Kili was a short distance away. Fili took a moment to appreciate the cut of his suit again, and wondered if he could get the brunet alone at some point tonight. A throat cleared behind him, interrupting his thought. When he turned, he saw Legolas standing with the other tall blonde.

“Fili, nice to see you here,” Legolas said. “Have you met my father yet?” He gave a swift introduction.

“The pleasure is mine,” Thranduil said.

Fili smiled at him, noting that the man had perfected that polite tone that said nice words while meaning that the speaker wanted to punch someone. Add in the icy blue stare and condescending smirk and he started to see why it was so easy for everyone to hate him.

“He’s the new farrier I told you about,” Legolas said to his father.

“Oh?” Thranduil’s eyes raked up and down Fili, clearly finding him wanting. “I must have misunderstood. I thought he was only another ranch hand.”

Fili’s smile widened. He might have been overwhelmed by all the seemingly friendly overtures, but this barely concealed hostility was something he knew how to handle. He had been called much worse than a ranch hand before. “Yes sir, I’m working on the Arkenstone now. I’m giving some thought to putting down roots, however.”

“I’m glad you find our little town so hospitable,” Thranduil said. “Come, Legolas.” With that he glided away.

Legolas gave Fili a look he couldn’t decipher, and then followed his father.

Fili was sure that Thranduil was trying to insult him with the snub. Instead it was amusing. Someone else wanted his attention, though, so he didn’t have much time to think about it.

Later, Fili was starting to get tired. Being around this many people was exhausting. They all wanted something: a conversation, a dance, taste this, drink that, have you met my second cousin twice removed? He had just smiled and nodded, cooperating most of the night. There was no way he would remember everyone, so he didn’t even try. He looked around, and noticed Bofur and Nori were gone. Bilbo and Thorin were standing by the tables with a small group of people. Ori and Dwalin were gone too though. Now that he took a closer look, it seemed like the crowd was thinning out a little. He didn’t see Balin anywhere either.

He went to get another drink and Kili met him by the tables. Kili took the cup from him and took a sip, then asked, “Did you save a dance for me?”

Fili smiled, saying, “Sure. Let’s go.” He held out his hand, and let Kili lead him to the dance floor. They waited for a minute, watching the other dancers until the music stopped. Kili took his hand and spun him, signaling he wanted to lead. When the music started again they moved into a sedate waltz.

“Have I told you how very handsome you look tonight?” Kili said. “Half the people in town can’t keep their eyes off of you.”

Fili blushed and glanced around. There were a lot of people looking their direction, but Fili reasoned that they were watching the dancing, not him. One in particular caught his eye. Legolas was standing under a lamp, blonde hair gleaming in the light. He met Fili’s eyes and there was no denying that he was watching. Fili looked away, not wanting to encourage him.

They finished their dance, and Fili was tired. Other people seemed to be sneaking off, so he wondered if he could get away with it too. He should have known better because Kili followed him away from the lamplights.

“Are you leaving?” Kili said.

“Yeah,” Fili answered. “I’ve had about all the socializing I can stand for one evening.”

“Me too. I’ll go with you.”

They rode home in silence. Several times Fili started to say something, but he didn’t. He told himself that he would try to talk to Kili when they got back, before they went to bed. Maybe Kili would join him on the porch.

Once they got home, they got the horses settled. Fili was helping Kili hang up the tack, trying to decide what he wanted to say. He worried at his bottom lip with his teeth nervously.

Kili cursed, and Fili looked up to see what was wrong. He was surprised when the taller man abruptly pushed him back against the wall, saying “I’ve wanted to do this all night. No, for _days._ ” One hand caught the back of Fili’s head, and the other grasped his hip, and Kili kissed him deeply.

Fili’s hands went to Kili’s hips, first holding but then pulling him closer. Kili groaned and ground against him. He had no idea how long they were kissing before a horse nickered, reminding them they were in the barn. Kili pulled back and smiled at him.

“I wasn’t planning a literal roll in the hay. Will you go to my cabin with me?” Kili asked.

Looking into those sparkling eyes, Fili could only nod.

Kili caught his hand and pulled him out of the barn. Halfway to his cabin, he stopped and caught Fili in an embrace again. After a smoldering kiss, he broke away, grabbing Fili’s hand and leading him again.

When they reached the cabin, they had barely made it through the door before Fili found himself pressed up against the wall. Kili pulled at Fili’s jacket, sliding it from his shoulders and bending down, mouthing at the blonde’s neck. Fili’s breath left him on a shudder. Without pulling away, Kili swiftly stripped off his own coat and dropped it on the floor. He was pressed tight against Fili again before it even hit the ground.

Fili made a noise when Kili slid a leg between his, grinding against him.

“Shit, sorry,” Kili raised his head, out of breath. “I don’t mean to be going so fast.” He started to step back.

Fili caught his head with one hand, not letting him go. “Don’t stop. You aren’t going fast.”

Looking to see if he really meant it, Kili saw Fili’s encouraging smile. With a smile, he bent his head and kissed the blonde again. He stopped long enough to murmur, “Good. I’ve wanted to do this since I first saw you.”  Kili ran his tongue down Fili’s neck, bringing his hands between them to swiftly unbutton both of their vests and shirts.

Fili felt like he was caught in a whirlwind and loving every minute of it. He gasped when he felt Kili’s bare chest against his. He shrugged the suspenders off of his shoulders, allowing them to slap against his legs, and threw his head back.

“I want you so much, Fee. Will you go to bed with me?” Kili murmured into his ear. All Fili could do was nod. Kili took him by the hand, leading the way into the bedroom. He swiftly stripped off Fili’s shirt and pushed him back against the bed. The blonde fell back and Kili followed him down.

Fili had dreamed of this too much. He couldn’t quite believe that he wouldn’t wake up and find himself alone. If this was a dream, he wanted to make the most of it. He caught Kili’s face in his hands, kissing him deeply. His breath caught when Kili popped open the button on his trousers and slid a hand inside.

Suddenly Kili jumped up. He pulled off Fili’s boots and kicked off his own, then swiftly shed the rest of his clothes until he was naked. Tugging at the waistband of Fili’s pants, he asked, “Can we get rid of these?” He helped Fili wrestle off the pants. Before he got back in bed, Kili said, “You are gorgeous, Fee.”

Fili blushed and watched Kili settle between his legs. He moaned when he felt Kili’s mouth on his erection. Soon enough he had one hand grabbing the pillow behind his head, the other fisted in the blanket beside his hip, struggling not to just grab Kili’s hair and fuck his mouth.

After an entirely too short amount of time, he did grab Kili’s hair, but only to pull him up and away. “I don’t want to come yet.” Fili watched Kili nod, thinking he was beautiful with his shining lips and glittering eyes, painted in moonlight.

Kili reached over to the nightstand, grabbing a jar. He liberally coated his fingers with oil, and pressed one against Fili’s hole. He stopped there, though, rubbing softly and spreading the oil around. “Is this okay?”

If Kili had lost his urgency, Fili had found it. He rolled his hips down against Kili’s fingers, but Kili just pulled away then went back to gently rubbing. “Yes, it’s okay, please.”

When Kili slid a finger into him, Fili made a noise deep in his throat. Soon one finger turned into two, and eventually three. By that time, Fili was writhing on the bed. He whined when Kili pulled away.

Kili settled between Fili’s legs again, but stopped when his cock was pressing against Fili’s entrance. “Are you ready?”

“I’ve been ready for hours,” Fili assured him. He tangled his fingers into Kili’s hair, pulling him down for a kiss. When Kili pushed forward, he whimpered. “God, Kili that feels so good! Don’t stop.”

Kili didn’t stop, but he did go very slowly. When he finally was seated completely, he waited a second, watching Fili’s face. When Fili nodded he started to move. With a curse, Fili’s back bowed when Kili hit that sensitive spot inside him. Kili grabbed one of Fili’s legs, throwing it over his shoulder, and propping himself on one arm. He reached the other hand between them and began stroking Fili’s cock in time with his thrusts.

In a few minutes, Fili came, his eyes rolling back in his head. Kili leaned forward on both his arms, and increased the pace until he came too. They both shuddered when Kili slowly pulled out and away.

Kili collapsed on to the bed beside Fili with a laugh.   “That was fun.” He reached into the nightstand and grabbed a washcloth. He cleaned up Fili, then himself. He let the cloth drop to the floor, and pulled Fili to him. “Was that okay?”

Fili hastened to reassure him, “It was fantastic.”

“Will you stay here tonight?”

Fili briefly thought of Thorin and everyone else. Then he decided screw it. “Yeah.” He cuddled closer to Kili’s side, hugging him.

Kili returned the hug, not letting Fili go. They stayed like that until they fell asleep.


	13. Cowboy Take Me Away

Fili woke up to the sound of the rooster. Next to him, Kili didn’t budge. He lightly kissed Kili’s cheek and got out of bed.

He didn’t have anything to put on except the suit from the dance. He wasn’t about to wear that to go feed the horses. He put on the trousers and headed to his cabin to change.

When he opened the door, Bofur was coming out of his own room. He saw Fili and cocked an eyebrow with a smirk, crossing his arms and asking, “And where have you been?”

There was a loud snore from Bofur’s room. Fili cocked his eyebrow, crossed his arms, and pursed his lips.

“We will never speak of this again. Agreed?” Bofur said, and dropped his pose.

“Agreed,” Fili smiled, “as long as you make some coffee.”

“Deal.” Bofur started stoking the stove.

Fili went and changed into work clothes, and grabbed his rope. They had all agreed to fend for themselves for breakfast since the party was last night. He didn’t have to do any work today aside from feeding the animals. He was going to cook something for Kili, but he figured he’d practice with his rope while waiting for Kili to wake up.

The horses were fed and watered, and he was in the corral with Pete. He was coiling his rope back up when he heard the gate open.

“Morning,” Kili said. “I woke up and you were gone. I knew I’d find you here.”

“Morning,” Fili said, but he was distracted. He didn’t like the way the gate was starting to droop. He’d have to replace that hinge soon.

Kili walked up and wrapped his arms around Fili’s neck. He hummed in contentment, then said, “We should get something for breakfast. Or we could go back to bed. Your bed is closer.” He leaned back and leered at Fili.

“I don’t think we should go to my cabin. Bofur’s got company,” Fili said.

“Mine then?” Kili kissed his neck.

“Let’s go,” Fili said. He tossed his rope over the top of a post and followed Kili.

Later, there was another attempt at getting out of bed. It was almost lunchtime, and breakfast had been long forgotten. They were both hungry now, though. They got dressed, and Fili went to get his rope from the fence. Kili went with him.

Nori, Bofur and Ori were standing by the corral looking at Pete when they walked up. “Ori’s been telling me about your magical horse,” Nori said.

“I didn’t say magical!” Ori protested.

“You hate horses, Ori. It must be magic if it gets you to pet a horse,” Nori gave his brother a pointed look.

Ori, who had indeed been stroking Pete’s muzzle, turned red. He didn’t stop petting Pete, though. “Pete’s different. Besides, Fili told me he would help me break my own horse to be like Pete.”

Fili saw Nori’s scowl, and he understood the concern. He wanted to make this clear to Ori right now. “I said I would break a horse for you. After that, you and I can train him,” Fili said. To Nori, he said, “Don’t worry. I’m not putting your brother on a green horse.”

Nori relaxed and gave Ori an affectionate look. “Maybe you should learn the talk before you decide on a new career as a horse wrangler.” He laughed as Ori’s face reddened more.

“Now that you lads are up, what do you say we see if we can catch some fish for dinner?” Bofur asked.

Ori and Kili both enthusiastically agreed. Fili wondered if he could talk Bilbo into making fried chicken tonight. He knew that they certainly wouldn’t be having any fish.

Sure enough, that afternoon after lunch they were all at the pond splashing around, poles lying forgotten in the grass. Fili got tired, and sat on the bank while Kili sat behind him, doing something to his hair. From the small rhythmic tugs, Fili guessed it was being braided. It felt nice, so he just closed his eyes and let Kili do as he wished.

Ori flopped down beside Fili with a wet squelch. He was out of breath after roughhousing with Nori and Bofur.

“Dori and Nori… do you have any other brothers, Ori? Or sisters?” Fili was curious what nickname a sister might have.

“Nope, it’s just us three,” Ori said. “What about you? Do you have any siblings?”

“I used to have a brother and three sisters. They’re dead now though,” Fili said. The tugging stopped and he opened his eyes to see Ori staring at him, stricken. “It happened a long time ago,” he hastened to assure the small man.

“How old were you?” Kili asked softly.

“I was twelve.” Fili was ill at ease. Ori was still looking like he might cry at any second. Kili had quit playing with his hair. He wished he had never mentioned it. Before anyone else could ask another question, he got to his feet. “I meant to ask Bilbo something. I’ll run down to the house real quick, excuse me.”

***

They fell into a routine of sorts over the next few days. They would go into the pastures and herd the cattle together, bringing them back to the corrals. Bulls would have to be separated, and then the cows and calves were counted. After that, they were broken into smaller groups. Some would stay on the ranch and the rest would be taken to the rail yard and sold.

After dinner, Fili would help Bofur with his reading until Kili brought out dessert. Then they would bid Bofur good night, and go to Kili’s cabin. Fili would always go back to his own bed to sleep, though. It felt like it would be too disrespectful to stay the night.

He had decided to wait to talk to Kili. He wanted to be able to offer something besides what he had now, which was exactly nothing. Fili planned on becoming the town farrier in more than name. He’d prove that he was more than just a no account saddle tramp. He’d make something of himself, something he could be proud of. Then he’d talk to Kili.

In the meantime, he enjoyed spending time with the brunet. He was still cautious, but he was slowly beginning to realize that if Kili wanted to quit doing something, he’d say so. And if Fili backed off, worried about putting too much pressure on him, Kili would chase after him.

Fili eyed the sky above him and frowned. A storm was blowing in and the wind was starting to pick up. He hoped they could get this finished before it hit. He didn’t like the idea of having to be out in the rain. If it started to thunder it could get downright dangerous.

At the moment he was sitting on Pete in the corral, keeping an eye on a large bull. One of the bull’s horns had grown in an odd angle, partially blocking the animal’s peripheral vision. This caused it to be more skittish and hostile than bulls usually were. The bull was standing in the middle of the corral, splitting his attention between Pete and the men standing on the other side of the fences. Cattle don’t see horses as a threat, so Pete was safe in the corral. Still, Fili was keeping Pete at a distance. They just needed to stay put long enough for Ori to finish counting the calves. Then the bull and his cows could go back to the pasture until next year’s round up.

A whistle caught Fili’s attention. Kili had climbed to sit on the top of the corral railing. He crooked a finger, beckoning Fili closer. He smiled when Fili urged Pete in his direction.

A sudden gust of wind knocked Fili’s hat from his head, blowing it towards the bull. The bull whipped his head around, lowering it and preparing to charge. It stopped when it determined the hat wasn’t a threat.

Kili laughed and called, “Why don’t you go get that hat?”

“Ha ha. It can wait,” Fili replied with a smile. They had already discovered that being on foot with the bull was a bad idea. That’s why he had Pete in there. He guided Pete closer to Kili, wondering if he could sneak a kiss. A quick glance around told him no. Thorin was not far away, and Dwalin and Bofur were both visible by the other corral.

“So, I have an idea,” Kili told him quietly. “It’s going to storm, so why don’t we have dinner in my cabin?”

Fili laughed and started to say something, but was stopped by the look of horror that crossed Kili’s face. He heard Ori call, “I have the final tally, Thorin.” When he turned to look, he saw what had scared Kili.

Ori was too busy trying to hold on to his paperwork in the gusting wind. He had opened the gate and unthinkingly walked into the corral. He was only about three steps in when the bull saw him. Fili watched the bull focus on Ori. Ori saw it too, and froze. That might have worked, except for those damned fluttering papers. The bull saw those as a threat. He lowered his head and charged.

Fili was already in motion. As soon as the bull started to drop his head, he jerked Pete’s reins, spinning the horse and kicking him. “Get it, Pete,” he snapped and Pete took off like a shot.

Ori still stood frozen, watching with wide eyes as the bull charged him, and Pete was thundering right behind the bull. Fili was trying to gauge that distance, and knew that his options were slim. Things seemed to slow down until he could time them to the beating of his heart.

Heartbeat: Pete couldn’t cut in front of the bull. Maybe if they had more room to run, but even Pete needed time to catch up, and they were almost out of time. Fili didn’t have his rope with him, so that wasn’t even an option.

Heartbeat: If Fili couldn’t stop the bull, Ori would be caught between the railing and its horns. If Fili didn’t stop Pete they would crash into the railing beside the bull. It would crush Ori, and Pete and Fili would be badly hurt.

Heartbeat: He heard himself telling Kili, “Cowboy’s rule: If you can control the head, you can probably control the body.” He hoped that worked, because he was gambling all of their lives on that rule.

Heartbeat: He heard voices yelling. He kneed Pete, urging more speed. He’d have one shot at this. If he missed, he was as good as dead, and so was Ori.

Heartbeat: Pete pulled even with the bull. Fili threw himself out of the saddle and shouted “Haw!” He caught a glimpse of Pete wheeling away, and was relieved that the horse would be okay, at least.

Heartbeat: Fili landed on the bull’s neck. It was off from where he had hoped to be, but it could have been worse. He caught a horn in one hand and hooked his other arm around the thick neck. He pulled his legs up, letting them swing under the bull’s neck. He felt a hoof clip his thigh and thought that was probably going to leave a mark.

Heartbeat: The bull’s head wrenched around. Suddenly off balance, the large animal stumbled. As his head kept going around, his body was pulled behind it. The bull’s feet slipped and it fell to the ground, landing on his side. Fili landed beside it.

Heartbeat: Fili scrambled to his feet, flinging himself on the bull. He dropped one knee on the creature’s neck, and caught a hind hoof in one hand. He looked up and saw Dwalin grabbing Ori and pulling him out of the gate. Papers were flying everywhere, scattered by the wind. Bofur was by the gate and Fili yelled at him, “Get Pete!”

Heartbeat: “Pete go!” Fili motioned with his free hand and Pete went for the gate. Dwalin and Ori were clear, and Pete ran out the gate. Bofur pulled it shut, and they were safe. Thorin and Kili were running to him, the idiots. He had maybe another five seconds before the bull realized he could throw Fili off. “Get out!” Fili yelled at them. Thorin veered off one way, and Kili followed.

Heartbeat: Fili knew when he released the bull he might have a second or two before it regained his feet. He couldn’t run for the closest corral railing, since that was the weakened gate. Ori, Dwalin, and Bofur were on the other side of it, not to mention Pete. Thorin and Kili perched on top of the next closest fence. A solid blow on that fence and they would both flip off the rail and on top of the bull. The third railing had the water trough bisecting it, and probably wouldn’t stand up to a hard blow. That left the fourth railing of the corral. It figured it would have to be the farthest away.

Heartbeat: Fili jerked his bandana out of his pocket. He shook it loose and dropped it over the bull’s eye, hoping it would prove enough of a distraction to give him another second or two. It hadn’t completely settled before he was up and running for the fence.

Heartbeat: Fili could hear shouting. He glanced back and saw the bull charging him. So much for that bandana idea. He looked back at the fence and kept running as hard as he could. He realized he was grinning like an idiot.

Heartbeat: The corral fence was close, he was almost there. He could hear the bull thundering behind him, but he didn’t look back. Almost there, almost… he jumped, trying to grab the top rail.

Heartbeat: His boot slipped on the loose dirt.

Heartbeat: Fili caught the second railing, and crashed into the fence. Trying to use his momentum, he kept his grip on the rail and swung his legs up and to the side. He was able to catch one heel on the top rail.

Heartbeat: The bull crashed against the railing under him. The leg that Fili was trying to swing up went numb from the knee down. The impact nearly dislodged him from where he was clinging to the fence. The sound returned time to its normal pace.

Fili could hear the bull butt the fence, rattling his horns against it. He was glad the fence was hampering the bull’s ability to swing its head or he might have gotten a horn in the ass for his troubles. He brought his leg up the rest of the way and hooked it over the railing. He pushed off with his hands, and was able to flip himself over the fence. He landed on his hands and knees in the dirt, but at least he was out of the corral.

The bull looked at Fili through the fencing. Fili laughed and told him, “Not this time, big guy. Maybe later.” The bull spun away, looking for a different enemy. It spied one of the fluttering papers and went to investigate.

Fili tried to stand up, but his legs wouldn’t hold him. His knees were shaking too much. He collapsed back into the dirt and rolled on to his back. He was laying there laughing breathlessly when Kili came tearing around the corner of the corral, followed by everyone else.

Kili dropped to his knees beside Fili, frantic. “Oh god, you’re hurt! Thorin! He’s hurt!”

Fili was pretty sure Kili didn’t mean to be shouting. It must be the nervous energy. He caught Kili’s hand, trying to calm him. “I’m fine. It’s just like flipping off the porch rail.”

“You are not fine!” Kili almost screamed it into his face.

Fili sat up, only to have Ori barrel into his chest and knock him flat again. The poor guy was crying and babbling, and Fili couldn’t understand a word of it.

“Get off of him! He’s hurt!” Now Kili was shouting at Ori.

Ori jerked back and fell over, crying even harder. Dwalin pulled him to his feet and caught him in a hug. Ori sobbed into the large man’s chest. Thorin and Bofur knelt by Fili, and Kili fluttered his hands over him like he was afraid Fili might break.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Fili muttered. “I can’t handle all these dramatics.”  He sat up and asked Bofur, “Where’s Pete?”

Bofur was so pale he looked like a corpse. “He’s fine.”

“ _What were you thinking?_ ” Kili shouted into Fili’s face. “You nearly got killed!”

Now Fili was starting to get angry. “I was thinking I’d keep Ori from getting trampled. I was thinking that I’d like to avoid the same fate.” He turned to Thorin and told him, “Also, you need to replace the hinge on that gate. I forgot to mention it.”

Everyone gaped at him for a second, and then all started talking at once. Bilbo came running up from the house, Balin right behind him, drawn by the excitement. Fili decided that was enough. He tried to get to his feet, but Thorin and Kili both pulled him back down.

“Stay there. You’re bleeding,” Thorin said, waving Bilbo over.

Fili didn’t feel anything until he saw the blood soaking the bottom half of his pants leg. Of course, then it started to hurt.

Kili was holding on to his arm so tight it was starting to cut off his circulation. Quieter now, he asked again, “What were you thinking?”

With a shrug, Fili told him, “If you can control the head, you can probably control the body.” He reached over with his free hand and tugged Kili’s hair.

Kili stared at him for a second. “If? Probably? You mean you didn’t know that would work?”

“I played the odds. This time I won,” Fili smiled at Kili. Kili did not smile back.

Bilbo was trying to look at his leg, but was having trouble. “Take off your pants,” Bilbo demanded.

Fili realized that everyone was staring at him. Well, in Kili’s case it was more of a glower. He wasn’t hurt that badly, and they needed to finish with the cattle before that storm broke. Trying to defuse the tension, he smiled at Kili again and said, “Never get caught in the yard with your pants down.”

That was when Kili punched him in the face. Fili found himself flat on his back again, this time with a split lip. Everyone was looking surprised, including Kili.

Thorin snapped out of it first. “Okay folks, the show is over. Let’s get back to work. Bilbo, you check on Fili’s leg and see what needs to be done. Ori, why don’t you go back to the house?” As everyone started to move, Thorin kept giving instructions.

Kili ignored all this and flung himself across Fili’s chest, exactly like Ori had done earlier. Fili thought about pointing this out, but decided he didn’t want to get punched again.

“You punched me. You punched me in the mouth.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” Kili mumbled against his chest.

Fili sighed and gave him a hug. He was never going to be able to understand people.

“I need to check on Pete,” Fili tried to push Kili off of him. Kili refused to move.

Bilbo leaned over and said, “Pete’s fine. He’s unharmed, I swear. We will take care of him, but only after I see your leg. Okay?”

Fili huffed, “It’s just a scratch. I’ll be fine, just let me change and we can finish up with the cattle.”

“Then I’ll go with you and look at your leg when you change,” Bilbo said.

“If it will keep you from being such a mother hen, fine. Kili, let me up, it’s okay,” Fili coaxed.

With a sniffle, Kili sat up. He looked like he had been crying, but Fili didn’t want to say anything in front of Bilbo. Kili didn’t bring it up either, so he thought he’d wait until later.

Fili got to his feet, but was having a hard time walking. Kili caught him around the waist and pulled Fili’s arm up over his shoulders. Bilbo propped up the other side, and they walked back.

“We are going to my cabin,” Kili’s tone brooked no argument.

“Are you going to punch me if I disagree?” Fili teased. Kili blushed, but didn’t change his mind.

They got to Kili’s cabin, and Fili peeled off his pants. All three of them grimaced. It was definitely more than just a scratch. Above the top of his boot, but below the knee, there was a gouge in Fili’s calf. Fili said a prayer of thanks that it was something that would heal. A few inches up and it would have ruined his knee.

“That needs stitches. Kili, go get my bag from the house.” Bilbo ordered as he grabbed the water basin. He started washing off Fili’s leg.

“Maybe we should do this on the porch,” Fili suggested. When Bilbo gave him a questioning look, he explained, “I don’t want to get blood everywhere.”

Bilbo sighed. “Would you care if Kili got blood on your floor?” When Fili shook his head no, Bilbo went on, “Then what makes you think Kili cares? He cares that you are hurt. Not that he might have to clean a floor.”

Kili burst back into the cabin with the bag. He leaned over and tried to catch his breath after passing it to Bilbo. When he could talk he asked Fili, “Tell me where the laudanum is and I’ll run go get it.”

“I don’t need it,” Fili said.

“I’m about to clean out your wound and stitch it,” Bilbo said.

“I know that. Go ahead.” When they both just stared at him, he sighed and held out his hand. “I can take care of it, Bilbo. You don’t have to do it.”

Kili exploded. “Christ, Fili! You don’t have to do everything! You saved Ori and nearly got killed! Why can’t you just relax and let someone else take care of you for a change?” He stormed out of the cabin, slamming the door behind him.

Fili started to go after him, but Bilbo grabbed his arm. “Let him cool off. He’ll calm down in a few minutes.”

Sitting back down, Fili confessed, “I don’t understand why he is so mad.”

“You scared him,” Bilbo tried to explain as he worked on Fili’s leg. “He’s scared and relieved that everyone is going to be okay. He just needs a little time to process it all.” He winced in sympathy when Fili made a noise.

Fili had forgotten how badly stiches hurt. Not to mention the pulling sensation of a thread going through your skin. It was starting to make him feel queasy. Trying to distract himself, he said, “I’ve taken care of myself my whole life. Why does he think I can’t?

“He doesn’t think you can’t take care of yourself. Kili wants you both to be able to take care of each other. You aren’t giving him much of a chance to take care of you. Then when he tried, you told him you didn’t want it,” Bilbo said as he finished stitching Fili’s leg. He paused and looked Fili in the eyes to gently say, “He feels like you rejected him, I think.” He went back to stitching.

“I didn’t reject him! I don’t want the damned laudanum,” Fili frowned. “Maybe I should just go back to my bunk.”

The door opened and Kili came in. “Please stay.” He sat down beside Fili with a sigh. “I’m sorry I ran out. And I’m sorry I punched you.”

Bilbo finished and stood. “You’re probably going to have a scar. Sorry I’m not better at this.”

“It won’t be the first scar I’ve gotten,” Fili tried to reassure Bilbo. Fili told himself he’d have to stop that, because Bilbo and Kili both frowned at him. He must not be very comforting.

“We will take care of Pete. You stay off that leg for the rest of the day. Kili, I’ll send supper out for both of you when it’s ready.” With that, Bilbo left.

Fili was confused, tired, and in enough pain to be nauseous. He told Kili, “I’m going to go lay down for a minute. Then we can talk and you can yell at me all you want, okay?”

“Don’t go. Stay here and lay down with me,” Kili said. He crawled into bed and opened his arms.

Gratefully, Fili lay down and curled up against Kili. He paused to prop his leg up on a pillow, and then laid his head on Kili’s shoulder. He was asleep within a few minutes.

 


	14. Flowers On The Wall

A light tapping woke Fili. He got up to answer the door, leaving Kili asleep in the bed. He opened it to see Ori standing there holding a tray piled high with food. Fili’s hat was on his head. A quick glance outside confirmed that the storm hadn’t broken yet.

“Shouldn’t you be resting or something?” Ori asked as he walked in. He set the tray on the table, then handed Fili the hat. “How is your leg?”

“It’s fine,” Fili assured him. He was stiff and sore, and his leg hurt like hell. Still, he would heal. It was not a big deal.

“I’m sorry,” Ori said. “This was all my fault.”

“Cowboy rule: Never open a gate until you know what’s on the other side.” Fili saw Ori wince. “It’s okay, Ori. People make mistakes, and now you know better. No one got badly hurt.” There had been about enough apologizing. Bilbo for the stitches. Kili for punching him. Ori for opening the gate. He wished people would let it drop.

Both men stopped for a second when they heard thunder in the distance.

“I need to get Pete in the barn,” Fili said. He grimaced when he put his pants on. The blood had partially dried, leaving the pants leg stiff in some places and sticky in others. He noticed that his thigh had a huge bruise where the bull’s hoof had clipped him.

“I could do it,” Ori suggested.

As far as Fili knew, Ori hadn’t ever taken care of a horse before. “That’s okay, Ori. I got it.” He’d have to clean his boots too. There was blood all over one of them. He left Ori in the cabin.

He wanted to jog out to the stables, but settled for a limping walk. He was glad to see that the cows and bull were gone. Having them in the corrals when the storm hit would be stressful and he didn’t feel like having to stay in the rain to watch a bunch of fool cows to make sure they don’t hurt themselves.

Someone had unsaddled Pete and got him into the corral.   Fili made sure the stall door was open so the horse could get out of the rain, and mixed up some oats with molasses for a snack. As the horse was eating, Fili stood beside him, leaning against the familiar warmth.

“I think you saved Ori’s life today,” he told the horse. “If you hadn’t been there, he would have gotten trampled. You did good, Pete.”

“What about you?” a voice said.

Fili ducked his head under Pete’s neck to see Kili standing there. His hair was mussed from sleep, arms crossed. He was frowning at Fili.

“What about me?”

“If you weren’t there, Ori would have been killed. You’re the one that stopped the bull.”

“That was pretty much dumb luck.” Fili could feel his face redden.

“It wasn’t just luck. And I would have come out here to check on Pete for you if you had asked,” Kili was still frowning and hadn’t come any closer.

“I know,” Fili said, standing back up and leaning on Pete again. His leg hurt and he was still tired.

“Why didn’t you ask, then?” Kili sounded exasperated.

Fili didn’t look to see. He stayed leaning against Pete, and gave the only answer he had, “It didn’t occur to me.”

Kili came and peered over Pete’s withers. “We’d all be glad to help, Fili. You just have to let us.”

How could Fili explain that it was easier to do things himself? For that matter, it was safer to do things himself. That way he knew they got done right, and he wasn’t beholden to anyone. If you owed someone, they usually thought that meant they could do as they pleased. He didn’t know how to explain this to Kili, though, so he didn’t even try. He just nodded.

Silence for a moment, then Kili sighed. “Ready to eat dinner?”

Fili ducked under Pete’s neck and nodded. On the walk back, he did his best not to limp so maybe Kili would quit fretting. He wasn’t entirely successful, and he caught Kili frowning at him again.

Ori was on Kili’s porch. “I wanted to see if you needed anything else before it starts to rain.”

Trying to be mindful of what Kili told him, Fili asked, “Could you get me another pair of pants from my cabin maybe?”

Ori darted off while Kili and Fili went inside. They had barely gotten the dishes off of the tray when he came back. He handed Fili a clean pair of pants and bid them good night. Ori was only about halfway across the yard when the first fat droplets started to hit the ground. Fili stood on the porch, watching him make a run for it.

With a rolling growl of thunder, the storm broke. Fili took a deep breath, staying on the porch, watching the rain start to run off the overhang.

“Are you hungry?” Kili asked from the doorway.

“Do you smell that?” Fili took another deep breath.

Kili came to stand beside him and asked, “Smell what?”

“The rain,” Fili answered with a smile. “I love the smell of rain. I always have. It’s like it washes the air clean.”

With a smile, Kili said, “You are a strange man, Fili.” He leaned over and gave Fili a gentle kiss. When he pulled back, the smile was gone, replaced by sadness in his eyes. “I thought you were dead today. That bull was right behind you and all I could see is what would be left of you when it caught you. I saw it as clear as I see you now.”

Fili leaned in, hoping to kiss the sadness away. Kili grabbed his head with both hands, turning the kiss into something urgent with teeth. Fili wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him closer until they were chest to chest. Kili seemed almost frantic. He started tugging at Fili’s shirt, trying to pull it off. He leaned back and blinked when a loud clap of thunder sounded.

“Inside,” Kili demanded. He pulled Fili in the door, and led him to the bed.

It was fast and rough. It was also a little awkward because they were impatient, and then had a hard time finding an angle to have Fili’s leg where it wouldn’t be shaken too much. More than anything it was an affirmation that they were both alive, well, and together.

After they untangled and cleaned up, Kili insisted that Fili stay in bed. He propped Fili’s leg up with a pillow, and stacked pillows and blankets until Fili was more or less sitting reclined. Then he went and brought back something to eat from the pile on the table.

They sat naked in bed, snacking and listening to the rain. When they set aside their plates, Kili traced the bruise on Fili’s thigh. It was still darkening, and was going to be impressive tomorrow. Kili ran his finger across a scar on Fili’s hip and asked, “What’s this from?”

“Someone tried to stab me and didn’t do a very good job of it,” Fili answered.

“Why did they try to stab you?” Kili looked surprised.

“Because I got a job he wanted.” Fili watched as Kili ran a finger up and across a scar on his ribs with a questioning look. “That was when I was learning to be a farrier. I was careless around the forge so the smith decided to teach me a lesson.” Kili’s finger traced over a small scar on Fili’s chest. “Hm, I’m not sure where that came from. I don’t remember.” Fili caught Kili’s hand before he could ask about any more scars, and kissed it. He didn’t want to dwell on the past.

A flash of lightning lit up the room, followed a few seconds later by a loud boom of thunder.

“The storm’s getting closer,” Kili murmured.

Fili knew Pete would be okay. Storms didn’t faze him much. Still, he was concerned about the other horses. The cows would be fine out in the pastures. “Do you think we should go out to the barn?” He saw Kili’s glower and said, “I guess not.”

“You aren’t getting out of this bed again tonight, do you hear me?” Kili poked him in the arm.

“Maybe you should offer me an incentive to stay, instead of trying to be bossy,” Fili teased.

“An incentive?” Kili feigned a thoughtful look. “Let’s see, what could I offer as an incentive…”

“A kiss would probably do it.” Fili smiled when Kili gave him a chaste peck on the lips. “I had something a little different in mind.”

Kili returned the smile, asking archly, “Did you?” When Fili nodded, he said, “Maybe you should show me.”

Fili reached up and tugged Kili to him by a lock of hair, giving him a slow, leisurely kiss. When they separated, he smiled and said, “That’s better.”

“I should probably practice that so I get it right next time,” Kili said before kissing him again.

This time when they separated, they were a bit breathless. Kili was on his hands and knees, leaning over Fili. They looked at each other for a moment, then Fili caught the back of Kili’s head in his hand and pulled him back down.

This time, instead of pulling back, Kili shifted to mouth at Fili’s ear, lightly biting at the lobe. Fili turned his head to allow better access and Kili crawled closer.

The next roll of thunder went unnoticed as Kili swung one leg over Fili’s uninjured one, making sure not to jostle him too much. He mouthed at Fili’s neck, whimpering when Fili shifted his leg to rub his thigh against the hardness he felt.

Fili grabbed Kili’s waist, pulling him closer. He rolled his hips, hissing when his erection rubbed against Kili’s hot skin. Kili made a noise and bit his collarbone. He fisted a hand in Kili’s hair, bringing him back up for a deep kiss, grinding against him.

Pulling back and biting at Fili’s lip, Kili leaned over and grabbed the little jar of oil from the night stand. Offering it to Fili, he murmured, “We can try it the other way tonight if you want.”

Fili wasn’t sure what he meant until Kili swung his leg over and straddled his waist, still being careful of Fili’s leg. Kili bent down and bit his neck again. There was a clap of thunder close by.

Instead of thunder, Fili heard the crack of the whip. His hands started to shake, and he fisted them and put them down to his sides. He tried to hold himself still, but the tremor moved across his body and he shivered.

“Fili?” Kili noticed, of course. He sat up a little.

Another shudder went through Fili’s body. He tried to tell himself that it was okay, he was here with Kili, and everything was fine. Another crack of lightning close by, and his mind insisted it was a whip. To his shame, he realized he had lost his erection.

“I can’t,” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. He was fighting not to just jump up and leave. Not only would he have to throw Kili off of him to do that, he would also hurt the brunet’s feelings, probably irrevocably. He wanted to explain but didn’t even fully understand it himself. So he settled for saying, “I just can’t.”

Kili swiftly slid to the side so he wasn’t on top of Fili anymore. He took Fili’s face in his hands, pressing their foreheads together, and told him, “It’s okay. Really, it’s okay.”

Humiliated, unable to quit trembling, Fili just wanted to disappear. He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to face Kili, whispering, “I’m sorry.”

Kili stretched out beside him, wrapping his arms around Fili and making soothing noises. Another clap of thunder sounded and Fili jumped. Kili hugged him and gently pulled on his arm. Fili wound up on his side with his head resting on Kili’s chest. Kili was still making nonsense sounds, running a hand up and down Fili’s arm. When Kili ran a hand down his back, Fili flinched and rolled away.

Sitting up, Fili said, “Maybe I should go back to my cabin.”

Kili caught his arm, saying, “Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t even see your cabin right now.”

Looking out the window, Fili saw what Kili meant. There was hardly anything visible beyond the porch. It was still raining heavily and the water was sheeting off the overhang.

Kili coaxed him into lying back down, but Fili lay stiffly on his back. Kili curled into him, not saying anything, taking one of his hands and playing with the fingers. Slowly, Fili started to relax. Eventually he heaved a sigh, and hugged Kili to him.

“I’m sorry,” Fili said again, in a more normal tone of voice. “I don’t think I can do that.”

“We don’t have to,” Kili hastened to assure him. “I just wondered if you wanted to try it. That’s all.”

Fili just stroked Kili’s hair, thinking. He was reminded of a windup toy soldier he had as a child. One day he bent the key the wrong way. He was able to fix it, but it never worked right again. That’s how he felt now: broken and crooked, like he should be thrown away, useless.

He didn’t know how long it was before Kili made a snuffling sound and started to softly snore. Still, Fili lay there stroking his hair, listening to the rain. It was a long time before he was able to fall asleep.

 

 


	15. I'm A Ramblin' Man

Fili woke to the sound of rain and his own gasping breath. He had been having a nightmare. He rubbed his hands over his face, trying to wake up a little more. He was still in Kili’s cabin, but the brunet was nowhere to be seen.

He didn’t know what time it was and there was no sun to gauge. It was much too bright to be early morning. The horses needed to be fed and watered, and he wanted to make sure the barn wasn’t leaking. Today was going to be miserable in the rain and the mud. It couldn’t be helped, though. At least it wasn’t pouring like it had yesterday. This rain was what his mother had called ‘a soaker,’ slow and steady.

Inspecting his leg, he saw he had been right about the bruise. It was spectacular all right. Almost the size of his fist, black fading to yellow and green at the edges. The stiches looked fine. The skin around them was still a little swollen and red, but he thought that was more from irritation than anything else. No signs of infection.

He wanted to just forget the past twenty-four hours or so. The histrionics over the bull incident, Kili’s irritation with him, and certainly his failure in bed last night. Now, on top of being a saddle bum with no money, he could add reckless and unable to keep a hard-on to the mix. Yeah, he was a real prize.

Allowing himself to mope for a minute, he sat on the edge of the bed. Kili probably had the same thoughts. That’s why the bed had been empty this morning. He was being given an opportunity to escape with a little dignity, at least.

Sitting here brooding on things wasn’t going to get work done. He was able to get dressed but it was difficult. He was sore and stiff. There were smaller bruises on his arms that he didn’t remember getting. He counted himself lucky though. A few bruises were a light price to pay for pulling such a stunt. Shaking his head, he told himself it was his fault anyway. He should have remembered to bring his rope, even if he was just sitting in the corral. He also should have remembered to fix that gate. He’d do that today, in fact.

When he left the cabin, he nearly fell over Dwalin. The big man was sitting on the porch, leaned back in a chair with his long legs stretched out to block the doorway.

“No,” Dwalin said.

“Pardon?” Fili asked.

“No. Where ever you think you are going, you aren’t. You’re staying in the cabin today,” Dwalin explained.

“I have to go feed Pete,” Fili started.

“Bofur fed him this morning. Ori gave him an apple and a cookie before I made him stop. Pete’s being taken care of.” Dwalin crossed his arms, waiting for Fili to say something else.

“The gate…” Fili tried again.

“Has been fixed. Thorin replaced the hinge earlier,” Dwalin said, cocking an eyebrow.

How could he explain to Dwalin what happened last night? He wasn’t even going to try. Instead he said, “I don’t know if Kili wants me to stay in his cabin.”

“Kili is the one who made me promise not to let you leave.” Dwalin gave him a look that Fili couldn’t decipher, but his tone was no nonsense as he stood and asked, “How’s the leg?”

“It’ll be fine,” Fili was getting tired of telling everyone that.

“I also wanted to tell you thanks for saving Ori,” Dwalin said, clasping Fili’s shoulder. “I never would have made it in time.”

“I didn’t really do anything. It was mostly Pete,” Fili mumbled, feeling his face flush.

“Nonsense. Pete didn’t jump on the bull to stop it. You did that, and I’m grateful. We all are.”

Fili ran a hand through his hair, fingers catching on tangles he hadn’t brushed out yet. What was he supposed to say? He settled for an awkward shrug. “What about the cattle?”

“No one is working today. In between the rain and yesterday, everyone could use a little break,” Dwalin told him.

Kili came running from the main house carrying a hamper. “Lunch is ready,” he told Dwalin when he made it to the porch.

“Wait, when is the drive starting? Do we have time to take the day off?” Fili asked Dwalin.

“We’re making time,” Dwalin said. His tone said the decision was final. “Excuse me, I’m off to lunch.” He strolled back to the house like he was daring the rain to hit him.

“Speaking of lunch…” Kili lifted the hamper.

Following Kili into the cabin, Fili was frustrated. He didn’t need the day off work. Now they would have to hurry to get everything ready before the cattle drive left. He also needed to go to the general store and pick up a few things if he was planning on being in that rodeo.

Still, he had to admit that after lunch, he was tired. He hadn’t slept well, and having a full stomach was making him drowsy. He didn’t realize he was staring blankly at his boot instead of cleaning it until Kili said something.

“Why don’t you lie down for a minute? I’ll read to you if you like,” Kili suggested.

Fili’s first thought was to say no, he wanted to finish his boots. He remembered what Bilbo had said to him yesterday though, about Kili feeling rejected. So he nodded instead. “That sounds nice. “

He was rewarded with a bright smile. While Fili climbed back into bed, Kili grabbed a book. He dozed while listening to the low tones of Kili’s voice, not really following the story. Soon he was fast asleep.

***

Fili had developed a small, auburn haired shadow. Ori started following him all over the ranch. Sometimes he’d ask questions, or want to help, but mostly he was just quiet and watchful. He’d sometimes come to the cabin after dinner and help with Bofur’s lesson. Fili would leave the two of them talking when Kili brought out dessert and they went back to his cabin.

Telling himself that Ori would get over it soon, Fili tried to ignore him. It would be easier if Ori would quit giving him things. It started with a pair of socks one day, then a batch of cookies the next. It wasn’t ever anything extravagant, but it still made Fili a little uncomfortable. He had tried to tell Ori that he didn’t expect all this, and nothing was owed if this was some sort of payment. Ori had looked so hurt he shut up immediately. If Ori didn’t stop it though, Fili thought he might end up as round as Bombur.

Or Pete might be too fat to ride, Fili told himself. He grinned while he watched Ori sneak the horse another cookie. The idea of being perched on an obese Pete was amusing. He wasn’t too worried about that. Pete had been working hard over the past few days.

They should be done with the round up soon. After that would be the rodeo. He still hadn’t told anyone on the ranch that he planned to participate. He wasn’t trying to hide it. It had only seemed like there was never a good time to bring it up. Then after the bull incident, he felt like it would be better to wait for everyone to calm down.

The opportunity came after dinner the next night. They were outside on the porch, discussing the remaining cattle that needed to be sorted. Thorin and Dwalin were sitting on the chairs while Ori and Kili were on the porch swing. Fili sat on the rail facing all of them while Bofur was on the steps, whittling something.

“We should be done rounding them all up in a day or two,” Thorin was saying. “That gives us plenty of time to get them to the trail hands for the cattle drive.”

“Is Greenleaf’s rodeo before or after the drive leaves town?” Fili asked.

Everyone looked at him, but Thorin answered, “He sets it before. That way the hands have a chance to be in it too. Why?”

“I’m participating.”

Kili smiled, like he was expecting a joke and waiting on the punch line. “You’re not serious.”

Fili nodded at him, saying, “Yeah, I am.”

A look of stunned disbelief replaced Kili’s smile. “You said you wouldn’t.”

“I never said that.”

Kili stood up, marching over to Fili. “When we told you that Greenleaf kills people, you said you wouldn’t go.”

“I said I’d consider not going,” Fili said. He was starting to think maybe he should have told Kili when they were alone. “I considered it. I can win, and I’m going.”

“He _kills people_ at his rodeos. Did you forget about that?” Kili was starting to increase in volume.

“I’ll use my own gear and keep an eye on it.” Fili was trying to reassure Kili, but it wasn’t working.

“You will not! You aren’t going!” Now Kili was shouting. “Thorin, tell him he can’t go!”

Thorin looked like he wished he was anywhere else. “He’s a grown man, Kili. He can do what he wants. Even if the rest of us think it’s a colossally bad idea.” Thorin frowned at Fili.

Everyone was frowning at Fili now. He stood up and walked down the steps. He didn’t think anyone would do anything drastic, but he didn’t feel comfortable sitting in the middle of all that disapproval. He caught his hand skimming his hip and made himself relax. Turning back to face them, he said, “I just need to do this.”

“Why?” Kili yelled. “Why do you need to do this when you know it is stupid?”

“I need the money,” Fili said. He didn’t want to explain everything here in front of everyone. He was wishing he hadn’t brought it up at all.

“I’ll give you money,” Kili said. At least he had quit shouting.

“I don’t want your money.”

“Fine. Thorin will give you money if you don’t go,” Kili pressed his lips together in a flat line, like he was trying not to say something else.

Fili said, “I don’t plan on being in debt for years just because you don’t like Greenleaf.”

Kili came down the steps and got nose to nose with Fili. “You don’t have to pay us back.”

Patience at an end, Fili snapped, “I’m not your whore!”

“No,” Kili growled, “you are a prideful idiot that won’t let anyone close to him. You are a damn fool with a hurt leg. The stiches aren’t even out yet. You are being stupid.”

Stung, Fili stepped back and told him, “I may be a prideful, stupid fool but I’m the one that’s going to win that purse.” He leaned around Kili and told Thorin, “I’m going to town tomorrow to pick up a few things. Let me know if you need anything.” With that, he spun and walked away.

Once back in his room, Fili paced back and forth. It had hurt to hear what Kili really thought of him. But Kili did have a point about one thing. Fili kicked off his boots and pulled his trousers off. Using the knife hidden in his boot, he started to pull the stiches out of his leg.

“Fili?” Bofur called, tapping on the door.

“What.” Fili was in no mood to listen to whatever it was.

Bofur, however, took that as an invitation to enter. “Are you… what are you doing?”

“Taking out these stiches,” Fili said, like it was not obvious.

“Are they ready?” Bofur leaned down to get a closer look.

“Ready enough. What did you need?” Fili finished up and sat on the bed.

“I wanted to see if you were okay,” Bofur said.

With a sigh, Fili said, “I’m fine, Bo. Kili just hurt my feelings a little, that’s all. It isn’t like he shot me, he only called me a stupid fool. At least I know what he thinks about me now.”

Without his usual cheery smile, Bofur said, “He’s just worried, that’s all. I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”

Fili didn’t want to argue with Bofur too, so he shrugged. Slipping his pants back on, he asked, “Are you ready for your lesson?”

They went to the table, and Fili was trying to explain how words could look the same but sound different. He was writing a few out when Bofur asked, “What do you need the money for, anyway?”

Without looking up Fili told him, “I was thinking about opening a farrier’s here.”

That got Bofur to smile again. “Really? In town, you mean? Let me guess, you can’t bear to be away from Bombur’s cooking,” he teased, trying to get Fili to cheer up.

Fili gave him a small smile. “Bombur’s cooking is fine, but I said I was only thinking about it. I don’t know if it’s a good idea.” Bofur’s face fell again, making Fili feel worse.

“Kili might be mad, but I’m sure he will get over it. Maybe you should go talk to him,” Bofur suggested.

“All he’ll do is try to get me to change my mind, and get angry when I don’t,” Fili said. “I don’t feel like fighting about it.” Fili went back to writing out the words, ignoring Bofur’s searching look.

Before bed, Fili went to go check on Pete. He found Ori sitting on one of the rails. Fili climbed up and sat beside him in silence for a few minutes, watching Pete eat.

“Are you really going to the rodeo?” Ori asked eventually.

“Yeah.”

“You’re going to do the bull riding, aren’t you,” Ori said. When Fili looked at him, he shrugged and said, “I saw your face when you were talking to Legolas.” Fili nodded and Ori asked, “Why?”

Fili tried to explain. “I’d like to be able to settle down one day and have a home. Not just moving from job to job and pillar to post.”

“But you have a home here.” Ori looked like he was about to cry.

Fili didn’t know how to explain it to Ori. Ori seemed so innocent, sheltered from the world. For a second Fili wondered if he would have been like that if his life hadn’t been ripped apart by violence at a young age. That didn’t matter, he told himself, because he couldn’t change the past. He could damn sure change the future, though.

“I mean a home of my own,” Fili said. “A place where I can work and be happy. Maybe raise a few horses with Pete. Something that can’t be taken away.” Pete had emptied his grain bucket and came over to see if Fili had a treat. Patting the horse on the neck, he said, “I want a place where Pete and I can be safe.”

Ori was looking at Fili with pity when Fili glanced at him. Uncomfortable, Fili hopped off the corral rail and landed beside Pete. He leaned on the horse, finger combing his mane.

“I wish you’d think about it. The rodeo, I mean,” Ori said.

“You all think I’m stupid, I know,” Fili said. Ori tried to interrupt but Fili kept talking. “I’m not. Not about this. I’ve thought about it a lot. This is something I know.” Fili looked at Ori again. “You all keep telling me what a bad man Thranduil Greenleaf is. I’ve dealt with bad men my whole life. I can handle it, and I can win.”

“Even if Thranduil doesn’t do anything, bull riding is dangerous!” Ori tried again. “You don’t know that you can win. What if you get hurt?”

That made Fili smile. “There’s an old saying about bull riding. It isn’t _if_ you get hurt. It’s _when._ And when I get hurt, I’ll heal.”

“Or die.”

Fili patted Ori’s leg. “And people tell me I’m a pessimist. You’re not exactly a ray of sunshine yourself. Look on the bright side. If I die you’ll inherit Pete.” Ori’s indignant look made him laugh. “Want to ride him?”

That wiped the look off Ori’s face. “Now? Doesn’t he need a saddle or something?”

“Nope. You can ride bareback just as easy. Slide your leg over and hop on.” Fili waited while Ori made up his mind. After a minute, the small man got a determined look, and nodded. With help from Fili, Ori eased his way over and was sitting on Pete’s back.

Ori looked like he didn’t know if he was exhilarated or terrified. Looking down at Fili he asked, “Now what do I do?”

“Hold on to his mane.” Fili showed Ori what he meant.

“Won’t it hurt him to pull on his hair?”

“Nah. He’s tough.” When Ori got a good grip, Fili clucked his tongue and Pete started walking. Fili stayed beside him, keeping an eye on Ori. Pete was a steady horse, but it wouldn’t do to let Ori lose his balance and fall off. They made a circuit of the corral, and then Fili stopped the horse.

Ori looked down with a wide grin. “I rode a horse bareback.”

“Yep. Come on cowboy, let Pete go to bed.”

“Um. How do I get off?”

Laughing, Fili helped Ori dismount. “Now you’ve got to learn how to do it with a saddle and by yourself.”

As they walked away, Ori looked back at Pete. “Do you think I can?”

Fili clapped him on the shoulder, telling him, “Of course. You can do anything you set your mind to, Ori. I have perfect faith in you.”

Bofur had already gone to bed when Fili got back to the cabin. Fili sat at the table for a minute, wondering if he should try to talk to Kili. A quick glance showed that Kili’s cabin was dark too. He figured it might be best to let Kili calm down a little anyway, and went to bed.

 


	16. Fool Hearted Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter deals a little with some of Fili's past. It isn't graphic, or too detailed, but abuse is mentioned. So if this is a trigger for you, please be warned.

Fili woke with a jolt. He had been having nightmares again. Fire and smoke, screaming and blood had been weaving in and out of his head all night. While he was waiting for his heartbeat to return to normal, he heard the cock crow. At least he wouldn’t have to stay in bed and deal with another nightmare.

He got the horses fed and watered, and went to get his own breakfast. The first meal of the day was never a cheery affair, with everyone still groggy and tired. This time it was downright morose. Everyone was staring at their plates silently. Except for Ori, who kept shooting glances at Fili. Eventually the silence became too much, so he grabbed a couple of biscuits and headed to the stables.

Half expecting Ori to come and watch, as he had been doing over the past week or so, Fili paid no attention when he heard the sound of boots on the rail. He finished saddling Pete, and then he looked up. He was surprised to see Thorin sitting there watching him.

“How determined are you to do this rodeo?” Thorin asked.

“Why? Are you going to fire me if I do it?” Fili was quickly getting tired of this. Was he going to have to have a conversation about it with everyone on the ranch?

“No!” Thorin looked surprised. “I wonder why you are so persistent about it, though.”

“Have you seen the size of the purses he’s giving away? It’s a lot of money.” Fili swung up into the saddle.

“Do you need a raise? Or if you’re in some kind of trouble, we can work something out. You don’t have to do it, Fili.”

Urging Pete closer to Thorin, Fili told him, “I don’t expect you to understand. You have this place, and friends and family. I’ve never had a home of my own. If I win that purse, it’s enough money for me to start a business, buy a few acres, build a house, and have something for myself. Maybe I can make something out of my life that I can be proud of.”

“We could help. I’d be more than happy to loan you what you need. We could work out terms,” Thorin said.

“And then I’d still be working for you. What if something happened and I couldn’t pay you back?” Fili shook his head. “This way I won’t owe anyone anything. If I can’t make it, then it doesn’t affect anyone but me.” He glanced over at the nearly empty paddock. “Even after I win, it will take time to set things up. So unless you are going to fire me, we will still be able to get the mustangs and start breaking them.”

“You sound sure you are going to win,” Thorin said, sounding doubtful. “How can you be so certain?”

With a smile, Fili told him, “Because I’ve seen a lot of the men who I will be up against. You know what they keep telling me?” Thorin shook his head no. “They all say they think I am too short. I’ll tell you a secret about bull riding. They are all too tall.” Thorin just looked confused. Fili laughed and told him, “When you see them try to ride, you’ll see what I mean.”

“We usually don’t go to the rodeo,” Thorin told him.

Fili felt a flash of disappointment, but quickly shrugged it off. He’d like to prove to everyone that he wasn’t a foolish idiot, that he did sometimes know what he was doing, no matter what they thought. Oh well. Changing the subject, he said, “I’ll be going to town this afternoon and will just eat supper at Bombur’s. Did you need anything while I am there?” Thorin said no, and the topic changed to what needed to be done that day.

That afternoon, Fili had cleaned up and changed clothes. He had also tucked a knife in his boot and one in a jacket pocket. He had on the jacket to partially disguise the fact that he was wearing a gun. He knew that going heeled could be a magnet for trouble, but he’d already found plenty of that even when he hadn’t been armed. So he would wear a gun, but try to keep it low profile.

His first stop was Dori’s shop. He had promised to drop some things off from Ori. Of course, by now Dori had heard about what happened with the bull. So Fili had to tolerate several hugs, decline offers of tea, snacks, or drinks, and listen to the man say thank you more times than he could count. He was only able to escape after agreeing to accept a pound cake, and being hugged a few more times.

Bard’s shop wasn’t much better. There were a few other people there when he entered, and they all wanted to hear the story of how he single handedly wrestled a bull. Thankfully Bard was perceptive enough to realize that Fili was about to flee the questioning, so he shooed the others away. Once Fili was able to catch a breath, they got down to business.

Fili was listing the things he needed while Bard gathered them up. Once they were piled on the counter, Bard gave him a sharp look and stated, “You’re going to be in the rodeo.” Fili just nodded. “Are you any good?”

“Good enough,” Fili said, hoping to end the subject. He’d had enough lectures already.

“Well, I’ll be rooting for you,” Bard said as he tallied up what Fili owed. When Fili looked up in surprise, Bard told him, “I usually go and watch. It’s a good idea to try and stay on good terms with people if you run a business.”

Fili agreed with that. He settled up his bill, and got his goods packed into the saddlebags on Pete. He led Pete around to the back of Bombur’s tavern and left him there.

When he went inside, there were a few people at the bar, and a few tables were occupied. It wasn’t very crowded, but then it was still a little early. After greeting Bifur and Bombur, Fili ordered dinner, got a bottle, and sat at a table in back. He didn’t feel like sitting at the bar and trying to make small talk with everyone. There was the added benefit that the table hid his pistol in case his jacket swung open.

Fili was about halfway done with his meal when Legolas and his cronies walked in. After a quick glance around the cronies sat at the bar, while Legolas headed for Fili.

“I hadn’t expected to find you here, much less bending an elbow this early in the evening,” Legolas said by way of greeting, sitting down at the table with Fili without waiting for an invitation.

“Only having a few drinks with my dinner, that’s all,” Fili said.

“Well, certainly one more won’t hurt. I still owe you a drink,” Legolas said as he signaled to Bombur. They sat in silence while Bombur brought over another bottle and set it in front of Legolas. When he left, Legolas held up the bottle, pointing to Fili’s glass.

Figuring what the hell, he nodded. Legolas gave him a big smile, pouring Fili a drink, then filling his own glass. They raised their glasses and tapped them together lightly before emptying them.

“Who are those guys?” Fili asked, motioning to the men Legolas was always around. “You don’t treat them like friends, but they don’t treat you like an employer.”

Without looking at them, Legolas explained, “My father gets concerned about my safety. They follow me around and keep me out of trouble, and he pays them for it. So no, not my friends, although most of them are tolerable.” He filled Fili’s glass again, then his own.

“At least you know your father cares about you,” Fili tried to think of something to say.

“Oh, make no mistake, my father hates my guts,” Legolas said with a smile as he refilled his glass. “He’s only interested in his own legacy. I don’t give a damn about his legacy, so that’s a problem. What about you? What’s your father like?”

“Hopefully dead. I haven’t seen him since I was about 13 or so.” This was getting too morbid, so Fili tried to change the topic again. “Tell me about your rodeo.”

“Oh, it’s great fun! We usually have quite a few people competing. The roping competition is popular. Ah, but you said you were interested in bull riding, right?” Legolas leaned closer, and ran his fingers down Fili’s arm. “I’d be very interested in seeing how well you can ride.”

Fili realized that Legolas was getting drunk and flirting, and wanted to put a stop to this before it went further. “I’m sure you’ll see me at the rodeo, then. Thank you for the drink, but I best be getting back now.”

He settled his bill with Bombur, and made it to the side of the building before Legolas caught up with him.

“Why are you in a hurry?” Legolas caught Fili’s arm and spun him around. “You don’t have to be back this early, do you? Not since Kili handed you your hat, anyway.”

“What do you know about that?” Fili told himself he wouldn’t shoot the tall man for being a drunken lout.

Legolas stepped closer, still holding Fili’s arm. “I know that you were drinking alone in a saloon. You’re snapping at me like a grumpy old lady. That isn’t exactly the sign of a satisfying relationship.” He slid his hands up until he was gripping Fili’s shoulders. “Is that the problem? Are you not satisfied?”

“You’re drunk, Legolas,” Fili pointed out, trying to step back. Legolas refused to take the hint, instead crowding Fili until his back was against the wall.

“Maybe. I’m not too drunk to function, though,” Legolas murmured then leaned down and caught Fili’s lips in a kiss.

As far as kisses go, it wasn’t bad. Legolas obviously knew what he was doing. For a brief moment, Fili thought about going along with it. It might be nice to have something purely physical where he didn’t give a damn what the other person thought about him, or if he accidentally hurt his partner, or even if the other man liked it much. That wasn’t what he was interested in, though. And this was Legolas kissing him. There was something about Legolas he couldn’t put his finger on, but he didn’t like it.

Fili gently pushed at Legolas, trying to move him back. The blonde grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers and pressing Fili’s arm back against the wall. Fili turned his head away, but Legolas took that as an invitation to start kissing his neck.

“Wait, Legolas. Stop,” Fili murmured. Legolas bit lightly at his neck, and he said louder, “No.”

Legolas quit, but he stayed pressed against Fili tight enough that Fili could tell he was happy to be there. “You wouldn’t be the first man Kili’s gotten tired of having around, you know. He’ll do you just like he’s done to all the others. Play for a while, then throw you away when he gets tired of you.” He nuzzled Fili’s ear, but sighed when there was no reaction.

Fili told himself he wasn’t going to rise to the bait. Small towns were always full of gossip, and most of the time it wasn’t even true. Legolas licked his ear, and told him, “We could have a little fun and no one would have to know. Are you sure you want to stop?”

“I’m sure,” Fili said, pushing the taller man away. He saw a flash of something that he might have thought was hurt, if it had been on anyone’s face but Legolas. It was quickly replaced with a smile, however.

With a mocking bow, Legolas told him, “Well, my offer remains open. If you are ever in the mood to spend a pleasurable few hours, let me know, will you? I like to think I am at least somewhat entertaining.”

Fili couldn’t help but smile at the self-depreciating tone. “If I am ever so inclined, you’ll be the first to know.”

With a look that promised naughty things, Legolas told him, “I’ll hold you to that.” He looked Fili up and down, said, “Pity you don’t want to play,” then turned and went back to the bar.

After watching to make sure he was really gone, Fili got Pete and headed for the ranch. He was stumped by Legolas. One day the man would act all high and mighty, then he’d do something like show that hurt, vulnerable look when Fili rejected him. He’d be a complete ass to Ori, and then try to woo Fili. He’d start a fight with Bofur, and then be cordial to Bombur. Either way, it seemed like he was bad news. Fili was going to try and stay away from him, even if it seemed like he was unavoidable.

On the way home, he thought over his purchases. He had everything he would need, or at least everything he could buy on short notice. The few things he couldn’t get were useful, but not vital. He’d be fine to ride a bull without them. He’d have his own bull rope, of course. He had also been able to get a nice hunk of rosin. A set of new leather gloves, and that was pretty much it as far as the basics were concerned. A set of chaps would have come in handy, but there were none available, and no time to get them made.

It was starting to get late when Fili finally made it home. He turned Pete loose in the corral and went to mix up his dinner. To his surprise, Kili was in the grain room, sitting on top of one of the sealed barrels.

“What are you doing?” Fili asked him.

“Out of every place on the ranch, I knew you’d come in here eventually,” Kili explained. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Fili was still angrier than he had realized, because before he thought about it, he snapped out, “I’m not really in the mood to hear about how stupid I am tonight.” He went on mixing the grains into the bucket.

“That’s not what I wanted to say,” Kili told him, following him out to the corral. He watched as Fili got Pete unsaddled and fed, and followed Fili to the tack room. After getting things put away, Fili slung the saddlebags over his shoulders and turned to Kili.

“For someone who wanted to talk, you’re not saying much,” he said, and started to push by Kili.

Grabbing Fili’s arm, Kili blurted out, “I just need to know why. Why are you insisting on doing this? Why are you being so damned bull headed?”

“You’ve lived with Thorin and everyone for a while, haven’t you? Or with other family? You’ve told me a little about your ma.” Kili looked confused by the change in subject, but he nodded, so Fili went on. “I haven’t had a home since I was twelve. I’m tired of it, and I want a place of my own.”

“You mentioned losing your siblings when you were twelve, but you never speak about your family. What happened?”

Hoping that if he explained it once, they could just drop the subject, Fili told him, “I went with my pa to go look at some horses that were for sale one day. He didn’t want to take me, but I begged until he gave in. While we were gone, some men came to the house. They stole everything they could carry, and did… they did bad things to my ma and sisters, even my brother. They killed them all and set fire to the house.”

Tired, lost in thought, remembering, Fili dropped the saddlebags to the ground, and sat down beside them. He went on, “There was still one man in the yard when we got back. My pa gut shot him, and tried to find out who else had been with him. He wouldn’t say, and after a while started to get too delirious, so Pa shot him in the face. The fire didn’t take hold in the house, so we were at least able to bury everyone. There was so much blood. It was everywhere. Plus there was some scorching and a lot of smoke damage. The smell was horrible.”

He sat, slumped over and staring at his feet. Kili came and sat down beside him, but didn’t say anything. After a few minutes, Fili went on in a low voice. “We slept in the barn after that. We couldn’t stand to go back in the house. Pa blamed me. He said if I had been at home, it wouldn’t have happened. He beat me because I should have been there to keep them safe. After that he beat me because I looked just like my ma, and I reminded him of her. Sometimes he’d get drunk and… do other things to me while he called me by my ma’s name. Drunk or sober, he’d always tell me how worthless I was, how stupid, and how everything was my fault. After a while I couldn’t stand it anymore, and I left.”

Fili didn’t even know he was crying until a tear dripped off his nose and hit the dirt. He quickly wiped his face with the tail of his shirt.

“How old were you when you left?” Kili’s voice was almost a whisper.

“A couple of weeks before I turned fourteen. I had to rough it for a while, but finally got a job riding tail on a cattle drive. I worked my way up from there, learning as much as I could.” After a few moments of silence, he risked a glance at Kili. Shaking his head at what he saw, he said, “I didn’t tell you this for your pity. I’m telling you this so maybe you can understand a little better. I want a place of my own. I’ve wanted one for a while. There was never a good enough place, or I didn’t have enough money, something always stopped me. But I’m telling you now, I can win that purse. I have a chance at finally having my own home. Maybe I could make something out of myself and prove I’m not worthless after all.”

Kili took Fili’s hand, holding it tightly and saying, “I don’t think I can watch you do that. Not after seeing you face down the bull for Ori. It scared me.”

Tugging on Kili’s hand until he looked up, Fili told him, “I’m not asking you to watch me do it. I’m asking you to have a little faith in me. I’ve done it before. I can do it again. Just have a little faith that I’m not a stupid fool.”

Blushing, Kili told him, “I don’t think you’re a stupid fool.”

“You called me a stupid fool. And a prideful idiot, if I remember right. Loudly and in front of everyone, at that,” Fili pointed out.

Even Kili’s ears were turning red now, but he said, “I’m sorry.” Leaning over and resting his head on Fili’s shoulder, he whispered, “Do you forgive me?”

Fili wrapped an arm around Kili’s shoulders and told him, “You’re forgiven. But do you always yell when you get worked up?”

“You should have seen me when I was little. I’d have tantrums for days,” Kili admitted.

“What do you mean when you were little? You still have tantrums for days.” That earned him a light punch in the shoulder.

They sat there for a while, leaning on each other until finally Kili said, “We should go to bed.”

A little disappointed, Fili agreed. He helped Kili up and gathered his saddlebags. With a final pat goodnight for Pete, he started walking to his cabin.

Kili caught his arm, and said, “I was hoping you’d come to bed with me, actually.”

With a smile, Fili agreed and walked hand in hand with Kili back to his cabin. When they finally went to bed, they didn’t do anything but hold each other until they went to sleep.

 


	17. Love A Little Stronger

Everyone was busy the next few days, and they seemed to pass in a blur. They got the remainder of the cattle herded together, then split up into groups that would be sold or kept. The ones that were being kept had to be split into new groups and settled down into different pastures.

While they were trying to get everything done around the ranch, Fili also had to deal with farrier work. Someone’s horse threw a shoe, so he had to stop and fix that. Then someone asked if he could ride out and look at a mare that had a split hoof. That took the majority of one morning. When Fili tried to apologize, Thorin just waved it off and explained that they expected him to be dealing with such things, and it was no big deal. Still, Fili felt guilty about not being there to help out. He made sure Thorin got his cut of the money, at least.

Each night after dinner, Bofur and Fili continued the reading lessons, but now they did it outside. Bofur would work on the slate, while Fili was busy splicing a length of rope and braiding it with strips of leather. Ori would usually watch, sometimes helping Bofur if he made a mistake.

One day, after watching Fili turn his glove inside out and start rubbing something that looked like a hunk of amber on it, Ori asked, “What are you doing?”

In reply, Fili handed him the thing he had been rubbing on the glove. “Smell it.”

Ori took a dubious sniff, but then smiled. “That’s nice! What is it?”

“It’s rosin,” Fili said as he took it back. “I’m putting it on the glove to help the grip. It’ll help to make sure the glove doesn’t slip off my hand at the wrong time.”

“If it might come off, why are you wearing a glove?”

Fili flipped the glove so it was right side out, and tried to explain it to Ori. Putting the glove on, he grabbed the rope he had been working on. “This is the bull rope. See the leather I braided into it? That’s the handle. I’ll be holding the rope like this.” He demonstrated the underhand grip, grasping the leather handle with his palm up. “If the glove slips, I can lose my grip. But the bull is going to be moving around with a lot of force, so I have to wear the glove. I’d rather lose the glove than a finger.”

Ori was wide eyed, but he asked, “What happens when you want to get off the bull?”

With a small laugh Fili told him, “I might not have a choice. But if I last until the whistle, I’ll just let go and get off.” And hopefully it will be that easy but I’m not counting on it, he thought. He didn’t say that since Ori was already looking a little nervous.

Until now, Bofur had been listening quietly. “You’re sure you want to do it? No one will think less of you if you change your mind.”

Everyone on the ranch had told Fili that at least once. This made the fourth time Bofur had said it. Fili was trying not to snap at anyone, so he quietly said, “I’m sure,” and started applying rosin to the rope handle. He just wished someone would have enough faith in him to support his decision.

***

They finally had the cattle headed to the large field where they would be held before starting the trail drive to the train yard. Thorin and Dwalin were riding point, at the head of the column of cattle with the lead steer. Bofur and Fili were on either side riding flank. They didn’t have anyone riding tail, since it was only a short distance to the field. If a cow started to lag behind, Fili would go back and let Pete gather it back to the herd.

Everyone was in high spirits. Fili and Bofur kept calling taunts back and forth, and even Dwalin and Thorin would join in. Getting these cattle to the field signaled an end to a lot of hard work, a good pay for the ranch, and a bonus for everyone. Cattle sold for beef usually went by the pound, and Fili was happy to see these cattle were fat and healthy. The Arkenstone would make a pretty penny for this herd.

After the cattle were counted, registered, and Thorin had his paperwork, he offered to buy them a drink and lunch at Bombur’s saloon. There were several people in the saloon already, grabbing a quick lunch and talking, greeting friends and discussing the rodeo and cattle drive.

The four men were able to grab a table, and shared a bottle while waiting for Bifur to bring their meals. They were discussing a few things they needed to do around the ranch before they could start bringing in horses to train. Mainly it was small things like cleaning up the corrals and paddocks, checking the railings, and checking the fencing around the pastures.

Fili had made sure he was sitting with his back to the wall, facing the door out of habit, so he was the first one who noticed Legolas walk in with his ever present companions. Fili was a little surprised to see Thranduil with him this time. Bofur followed his gaze, and fell silent. Seeing Bofur’s scowl, Fili hoped they weren’t going to have any trouble.

Of course, Legolas waved and went straight for Fili as soon as he saw him. He clapped Fili on the back in greeting, saying, “It’s good to see you again, Fili.”

Fili didn’t know how, but the blonde managed to make that simple statement sound like a filthy promise. He felt a blush rise as he nodded, saying, “Legolas, nice seeing you too.”

Only then did Legolas turn to the others at the table, giving them a nod of greeting. “Thorin, Dwalin. I hope you’ve been well.” He completely ignored Bofur.

Thranduil glided up to the table, saying, “Legolas, come and sit.” With an expression as if he had stepped in something unpleasant, Thranduil greeted Thorin with a tilt of his head. “Oakley.”

Thorin had the same expression as he nodded back. “Greenleaf.”

Thranduil looked at Fili with the faintest interest on his face. “My son tells me you think you are going to be a bull rider.”

Looking at Thranduil standing there in his immaculate clothes, trim waistcoat, spotless shoes, wearing a new bowler, with his pale skin and soft hands that had probably never seen a hard day’s work, he just rubbed Fili wrong. He was reminded of a cottonmouth snake. Legend has it that a cottonmouth smiles, but Fili knew the truth: it wasn’t a smile, it was the snake preparing to strike. Thranduil was every bit a snake, no doubt about that.

Fili pushed his hat back on his head and gave Thranduil a big smile that looked every bit as false as it was. “Yes sir, I’ll be there with bells on.”

With a condescending smile, Thranduil asked him, “Have you ever even tried to ride a bull before?”

Kicking his legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankles, crossing his arms to slide his jacket back enough to show he was armed, Fili told him, “I reckon I’ll figure it out.”

Obviously uncomfortable, Legolas quietly asked his father, “I thought lunch was ready?”

“I look forward to seeing you ride,” Thranduil told Fili. With a nod farewell to Thorin, he went back to his own table. Legolas followed, throwing a glance over his shoulder at Fili.

Fili didn’t relax until Thorin quietly said his name. He sat up, dropping his arms, but he still kept an eye on Thranduil. He didn’t like that man one bit. He didn’t have to like him to take his money, though.

Once they got back to the ranch, Thorin decided they’d relax the rest of the day since the rodeo was tomorrow. Fili had found out from Bard that lots of townsfolk would be there, even if they didn’t participate in the rodeo. Some people brought snacks, or made a picnic. At least he wasn’t expected to bring food, like for the dance.

Fili was going over his meager equipment again. He had thought about entering other events, like calf roping, or maybe the cutting event. He decided against it because for one, he wanted to be fresh and not tired when he did the bull riding. For two, if he won too many events, it could cause hard feelings. If he planned on staying here in this town, it wouldn’t do to start out on a bad note.

Fili tied the bull rope off to a tree, and wrapped the other end around the saddle horn. On command, Pete started to back up, pulling the rope taut. Fili urged him back, putting more pressure on the rope. He was checking it when Kili walked up.

“What are you doing?” Kili asked.

“Making sure the rope isn’t fraying and it won’t break,” Fili said, inspecting the leather handle he had woven into the rope. After checking the rope from end to end, he was satisfied. He called Pete forward and untied the rope. He coiled it and gave Kili a smile. “It’ll work.” He unsaddled Pete and got him turned loose in the corral, then gave him his dinner.  

The bell rang, and they went to get their own supper. Fili half expected them to go on another round of asking if he was certain he wanted to do the rodeo. Instead, Thorin only asked him if he was ready. He affirmed that he was as ready as he could be, and the subject was dropped.

After dinner, Fili was going to go back to his cabin and see if Bofur wanted some more help with his letters. Before he got far, Kili caught his hand, asking, “Why don’t you come to my cabin with me?”

They had not had any time alone since the night that Kili had apologized for calling him stupid, so Fili agreed. He hoped he wasn’t going to have to spend half the night explaining his decision again. His nerves were already on edge enough as it was.

They were sitting at the table in Kili’s cabin. Kili was saying something, but Fili couldn’t concentrate. His leg was jigging up and down and he was chewing on his bottom lip. He was running a hand through his hair when Kili sighed and got up.

Kili came and stood behind Fili, and started rubbing his shoulders. “Wow, you’re tense.” He dug his thumbs into the blonde’s neck at the base of his skull. Fili couldn’t help the small groan that escaped him.

“Yeah, I usually am the day before. I’ll be fine tomorrow,” Fili tried to assure him. It was true. He’d be all nerves tonight, but when the time came, he’d do just fine.

“Take off your shirt and go lay down. I’ll rub your back a little,” Kili suggested.

After a moment’s hesitation, Fili pulled his shirt over his head. He figured Kili had already seen the scars, so no point in being bashful now. After kicking off his boots, he lay face down on the bed, pillowing his head on his arms.

Kili poured a small amount of oil in his hand, warming it. He straddled Fili’s legs and started to rub in earnest. He started at Fili’s neck, and worked his way down. When he reached the waist of Fili’s pants, he started rubbing his way back up. When he reached Fili’s shoulders again, he bent down and lightly bit the back of Fili’s neck. “Better?”

Looking over his shoulder, Fili told him, “Much better, thank you.”

Kili tilted his head, catching Fili’s mouth in a kiss. The angle was a little awkward so Fili started to roll to his side, but Kili pressed down against him. Fili rolled his hips a little, pressing his ass up against Kili. Kili sat up long enough to take his shirt off, then lay back down on Fili, sliding his bare chest against the blonde’s back.

Lifting his hips, Fili pressed his ass harder against Kili, feeling the brunet growing harder against him. Kili bit the back of his neck again, harder this time, grinding against Fili and making a noise deep in his throat. He wormed a hand under Fili, trying to unfasten his pants but it wasn’t working.

With a small laugh, Fili tried to lift his hips enough to they would be able to get them off. He gasped in surprise when Kili sat up and jerked his hips back until he was suddenly on his knees and elbows on the bed. Kili quickly unfastened his trousers and pulled them off, pushing him down to lie on his stomach again, this time naked.

Lying down on top of Fili again, still clothed, Kili licked the back of his neck, whispering, “I need you, say yes, I want you so bad,” while he was grinding against Fili.

“Yes, I want you too.” Fili had barely gotten the words out before Kili was reaching for the oil again.

Fili shivered when Kili knelt between his spread legs and drizzled a small puddle of oil directly on the small of his back. He used both hands to spread the oil across Fili’s lower back, then down across the firm mounds of his ass. Kili rubbed down more, massaging the muscles down to his upper thighs. Fili had closed his eyes and buried his face in the blanket, just enjoying the sensation. He was relaxing even more when Kili ran those warm hands back to his ass. Taking a firm grasp, he pulled the globes apart, and ran his tongue up the cleft of Fili’s ass.

Eyes popping open, Fili jumped at the unexpected sensation. “Kili? What are…” he forgot what he was going to say and groaned when Kili pressed his tongue against him again. He gasped when Kili pressed the tip of his tongue into him. Soon he was panting, raising his hips up. Kili reached one hand down between Fili and the bed and began stroking Fili’s cock. Fili found himself fucking down into Kili’s hand then pressing back against Kili’s tongue.

Fili whimpered when Kili released him and pulled away. A few seconds later Kili was back, naked this time, covering Fili’s back with his own body. Fili grabbed his hands, trying to pull him even closer. Kili pulled one of his hands away, but allowed Fili to hold the other. Nibbling on Fili’s earlobe, he said, “Tell me you want me.”

Not even entirely sure he was making sense, Fili started babbling. “I want you, want you inside me. I want you to fuck me, Kili, make me feel it for days, please,” and then gasped when Kili slid one oil slick finger inside him. He rolled his hips up, but it wasn’t enough. “More, Kili, fuck me, I want your cock in me.”

Biting his earlobe, Kili slid another finger inside him. “So eager,” he murmured, slowly sliding his fingers in and out, working them around, waiting for Fili to loosen more. He added another finger and slowly pressed them into Fili, twisting his wrist around.

“Quit teasing me and fuck me!” Fili demanded, then bit Kili’s finger on the hand he was holding.

With a laugh, Kili pulled his fingers out and pressed the tip of his cock into Fili. He stopped there, saying, “Is this what you want?” He growled and grabbed Fili’s hips when the blonde tried to push up against him. Holding Fili immobile, he said, “No. Tell me you want it.”

“I want it, I want you, God Kili _fuck me already,_ ” Fili tried to press back again, but Kili had a bruising grip on his hips and he could barely move. “Please!” His breath caught in his throat when Kili pushed forward, slowly and relentlessly until he was completely seated. They both moaned at the sensation.

Lying back down, his weight pressing Fili into the mattress, Kili murmured, “You feel so damn good, Fee. You’re so tight,” and started to move. Slowly at first, and he shifted a bit, changing the angle and hitting that sensitive spot inside Fili, causing him to arch his back and gasp. Kili started to increase his speed, and Fili was bucking his hips up to meet him.

Fili started to reach down, desperate for more sensation against his aching prick, but Kili caught his hand. Intertwining their fingers, Kili growled into his ear, “I want you to come on my cock. Can you do that? Come for me, Fee. Show me how much you love me fucking you, how much you love it when I fill you up. I want to feel you come, feel you tighten around me. Imagine me coming inside you,” Kili kept murmuring a litany of obscene things into Fili’s ear, never slowing his thrusting.

The feel of Kili thrusting inside him, pinning his hands down, the weight and warmth against his back, the breath against his ear, the words pouring from him, all of it was too much for Fili. He buried his face into the blanket and came with a shout. Kili didn’t stop, and it was almost becoming too much for Fili when finally he felt Kili’s hips start to stutter. With one final hard thrust, Kili bit Fili’s shoulder and came with a cry.

They both stayed there for a moment, trying to catch their breath. Kili gave a soothing lick to the mark he had left on Fili’s shoulder, and started to get up. Fili caught his hands though, and didn’t let him go. With a small laugh, Kili relaxed against Fili’s back, and they laid there in silence for a few minutes. Eventually sweat and fluids started to cool off and get sticky though, so they separated with some reluctance.

The blanket they had been on was already a mess, so they used a corner of it to clean off then threw it on the floor. Fili lay back, pulling Kili down with him. They wound up with Kili’s head resting on Fili’s chest, legs intertwined. Fili was smoothing a hand up and down Kili’s back while the brunet played with a stray lock of his hair.

Jokingly, Fili said, “Well, I admit, you sure know how to relax a fella.” He chuckled when Kili swatted his chest. Catching Kili’s hand, he brought it to his mouth and kissed it. When he released it, Kili started playing with his hair again.

After a minute, in a low voice Kili confessed, “I’m scared about tomorrow.”

Hugging him, Fili tried to reassure him. “Don’t be scared. At worst, I won’t win and I’ll come back with my tail between my legs. Then you can call me a stupid fool again and say I told you so.”

“I already apologized for calling you a fool, you know,” Kili said with a smile in his voice. The smile was gone when he said, “You might get hurt.”

“I might, yes,” Fili agreed. He didn’t want to scare Kili, but he didn’t want to lie either. He settled on saying, “I promise I will do my best to avoid it though.”

He felt Kili sigh, but neither one of them said anything else. There really wasn’t anything else to be said.


	18. The Rodeo

Waking early, Fili extricated himself from bed, trying not to wake Kili. He slipped on his clothes from yesterday, and went out and got Pete and the other horses fed and watered. He grabbed his bull rope from his cabin, going over it one last time. He was working with his gloves when the bell rang for breakfast.

Instead of sitting down with everyone else, he grabbed a few biscuits and some bacon. Apologizing on his way out the door, he explained that he wanted to get ready. Bilbo just waved off the apology, saying he understood.

Fili heated some water while he wolfed down his makeshift breakfast. He cleaned up and washed his hair, knowing that as a competitor and still being ‘the new fella’ in town, he’d be the center of attention quite often today. In a situation like this, that didn’t bother him. Quite the opposite, in fact, since he hoped to put on a show once he got in the arena.

Back in his cabin, he took care with his appearance and clothing. He braided his hair carefully, first making a small braid high on each side of his forehead, then making another small braid on each side of his temple. He took those four braids and pulled them back, weaving them with the rest of his hair until it fell in a heavy club, reaching down to rest between his shoulder blades. He tied the bottom off with a strip of leather, and wrapped several more strips around the thick braid. The last thing he wanted was for his hair to come loose and obstruct his vision at a bad time.

After that he put on the trousers Dori had rushed to make for him. They were cut with what known as a saddle seat. He hadn’t been able to get a pair of chaps in time, but these would work almost as well. The inside of the legs were reinforced with a heavy canvas to prevent chafing while he was riding. Dori had been able to work the material so it was soft and comfortable and had dyed it a dark blue. The outside of the legs, going up to the waist and around, were a charcoal grey in color. They were sewn so there was no seam along the inside of the trouser leg that might get in the way and affect his grip. His shirt was the same dark blue color as the inside of his pants legs. At first glance, it seemed plain, but when he looked closer, Fili saw that Dori had embroidered a small pattern around the breast pockets that looked like it might have been barbed wire. He slipped on the matching charcoal grey vest, and inspected his outfit.

He had told Dori he had wanted to look halfway respectable but still be functional. He didn’t realize the older man would go to so much trouble, and especially not on short notice. He almost felt bad wearing it, knowing it would get dirty. Until then, he knew he’d cut a sharp figure. Oh well, maybe he’d impress the cows.

The last things he put on were his boots. They were a little worn, and didn’t quite match the rest of his clothing, but he wasn’t about to try and wear new boots in a situation where he would have to be running. He fastened the spurs he had with the blunt rowels and he was ready.

He gathered his bull rope, riding gloves and the small chunk of rosin and tucked it into his saddle bag. He also took his lariat. Even though he wasn’t competing in anything where he would use the rope, better safe than sorry. He debated taking one of his guns, but he couldn’t wear it all the time, and he wouldn’t even consider leaving it unattended in a saddle bag. He settled for tucking a small knife into a vest pocket. He didn’t take the one he normally kept hidden in his boot, because he couldn’t take the chance that it would throw off his balance.

One last look around and a quick check and he decided he was as prepared as he would get. He grabbed his hat and the saddle bags, and headed out the door. He was surprised to see Balin hitching the mules to the wagon. As far as he knew, the stores in town were closed today so everyone could go watch the rodeo. He walked over to see where Balin was going just as Bilbo and Ori brought baskets and covered plates out of the house, and nestled them in the wagon so they wouldn’t get shaken around too much.

“What are you doing?” Fili asked, peering into the back of the wagon.

As Dwalin walked by, he gave Fili a slap on the back that nearly knocked the blonde off his feet. “We’re getting ready to go to the rodeo, of course.”

Confused, Fili watched everyone bustle around for a minute. “I thought you never went to the rodeo.”

“We’ve never had anyone representing the Arkenstone in the rodeo before,” Thorin told him with a small smile.

“You didn’t think we would let you go by yourself, did you? Of course we’d be there to cheer you on!” Bofur yelled from across the yard.

That was exactly what Fili had thought. He had planned to be there by himself, just like he always had been before. All of this, Thorin saying he was a part of the ranch, all of them acting like he belonged, like they cared what happened, it was all unexpected. He wasn’t sure how to handle this show of support, especially when everyone had been dead set against him doing it in the first place. He murmured a thank you, and went to get Pete saddled up.

After Pete was ready, Kili caught him before he walked out of the stable. After a gentle kiss, Kili just hugged Fili tight against him, running a hand down Fili’s braid.

“I’m scared. I’m worried you are going to get hurt. What if something goes wrong?” Kili was trembling.

Fili hugged him tight for a second, and then pulled away enough to be able to look him in the face. “I’ve done this before, Kili. I’ll be as careful as I can. I don’t want to get hurt either, trust me.”

That earned a snort and a small smile from Kili. “I still don’t like it.”

“You don’t have to go. I know watching can be hard.”

Kili looked at him like he’d gone insane. “I’m certainly not sitting around here alone biting my nails. I’m going.” He went off to get his own horse while Fili led Pete to the yard.

Balin, Bilbo, and Ori were already in the wagon. Bofur, Dwalin, and Thorin were mounted on horses. Fili swung up on Pete as Kili rode up, and they were ready to go.

The ride there wasn’t very long, since the rodeo was held on Greenleaf’s ranch. Fili marveled for a second about how fate works. A couple of miles to the north, and he would have missed the Arkenstone ranch that first day, and might have wound up dealing with Thranduil instead. He wondered how different life would be for him now if that had happened.

It looked like the entire town was already there when they arrived. Families had brought wagons and picnics, and were making a day of it. This was probably one of the most exciting things to happen each year, so of course people would come. The town wasn’t big enough to attract traveling shows, so people would take their entertainment where they could get it.

Balin got the wagon settled in a good spot, close enough to see most of what was going on, but far enough away from the other livestock so as to not be bothered. Fili dismounted and left Pete with the wagon so he could go sign up for the bull riding competition.

As he made his way through the crowd, he was greeted by several people. He was still having a hard time with names, but he was recognizing faces now at least. He declined several offers of snacks or drinks. It would be embarrassing if he got on a bull and managed to throw up on it.

He finally made his way over to the arena, and spent a few minutes watching a calf roping competition. They had arrived too late to see the sharp shooting exhibit, but right now all Fili cared about was the ground in the arena. He was glad to see the earth had been churned. It would give the animals traction so they wouldn’t slip and fall too easily. He leaned against the rail surrounding the arena, and watched to see who else might be competing.

It was easy to tell who was there to participate, and who was there to watch. Spectators were mostly sitting in the bleachers that had been erected for the event. Competitors stayed on the ground by the arena, mostly to chat and exchange tips, but also ready to jump in the ring and lend a hand if needed.

Thranduil was easy to spot. He was sitting on an elevated dais, under a raised tarp to protect him from the sun. He was reclined on an elaborately carved chair with his long legs crossed in front of him. Legolas was standing beside him, holding still and with his face impassive. Fili made his way to the dais and found the sheet to sign up for the bull riding.

Legolas stepped forward to shake his hand. As Fili greeted him, he heard Thranduil say, “Son, do help him sign up, will you?”

“That won’t be necessary, I can manage,” Fili said and signed his name. He tipped his hat to the men, then made his way back to the wagon where everyone else was eating. He wasn’t interested in watching the other events, and the bull riding should be starting soon anyway. He tucked his gloves in his pocket, and checked his rope again. He knew it was fine, but it was soothing his nerves.

Fili noticed Ori wasn’t eating either, and quietly told the small man, “If you don’t want to watch, you could do me a favor and keep an eye on Pete for me.”

“No, I’ll watch,” Ori insisted. “I’ll be in the stands. I don’t want to be down by the arena.”

Fili clapped him on the back. He figured if it got to be too much for him, Ori could go back to the wagon.

Balin, Bilbo, Ori and Dwalin went to find a seat. Thorin, Bofur and Kili went with Fili down to the arena. They all were leaning on the railing, watching a pole race. Two horses with their riders would start at one end of the arena, run to the other end while weaving in and out through poles set up and the first one to make it back without knocking over a pole won.

Finally it was time to start getting ready for the bull riding. Fili had kept his bull rope looped and slung over his shoulder, so no one could have tampered with it. His gloves had been in his pocket all day. His gear was as secure as he could make it. He joined the other competitors by the dais.

There were only five other men competing. He gave him all a friendly nod, which was returned. They were listening to Thranduil explain how the bulls were chosen. The men’s names had all been placed in a hat. The bulls’ names had been placed in a different hat, and there were ten to choose from. When a man’s name was picked, he would go and pick a bull from the other hat. The order in which the names were picked was the order in which the men would ride.

Thranduil pulled the men’s names out of the hat. The first man chosen picked his bull out of the hat that Legolas was holding. He handed the slip of paper to Thranduil, who called out, “Flash!” There was a cheer from the crowd.

Another man’s name was called, and he picked his bull. Thranduil called out “Secret Weapon!” and there was a quieter cheer. Apparently that bull wasn’t as popular.

Another man, another bull’s name called, another cheer.

Finally Fili’s name was called. He’d be the fourth rider out of the six of them. Well, at least he wasn’t last. He stepped forward and grabbed a slip from the hat, glanced at it, then handed it to Thranduil. The name meant nothing to Fili, but when the tall man called out, “Smaug!” a loud cheer went up. Apparently Smaug was a popular bull.

Fili had been looking at Legolas when the name was called, so he might have been the only one to see the blonde’s eyes widen and nostrils flare. Legolas brought his expression back under control so quickly Fili thought he might have imagined it.

People were wandering around, chatting with friends or just stretching their legs before the event began. Men with plow horses were going over the ground inside the arena, leveling it back out where previous events had churned it up and left divots. Fili went to find Kili, but ran into Thorin first.

Thorin grasped his arm and pulled him aside a bit. Bending down, he told Fili in a hushed voice, “Smaug is the bull that killed a man last year. He’s also gored others, and one man lost his leg. He’s vicious and dangerous, so be careful.”

That reminded Fili, “Just in case something happens, I want Ori to have Pete.”

Thorin looked taken aback, saying, “You want to give a horse to Ori? Are you sure?”

“Well, only if I die, and yes, I’m sure. Pete goes to Ori,” Fili was adamant. With a shrug, Thorin agreed.

They found Kili, Bofur and Dwalin already standing outside Smaug’s holding pen. Fili leaned on the rail to examine the animal, and had to admit he was beautiful.

Smaug had horns that spanned about three feet, so not too big, and well proportioned. He had a brindle coat, dark red and black stripes with the occasional streak of lighter red or yellow. The coloring reminded Fili of the burning embers of a campfire at night. There was a dark yellow stripe going straight down the middle of his back, and he had dark yellow sock markings on all of his feet. The black and red pattern continued across the bull’s face, but his muzzle was the same dark yellow as his socks. He was a beautiful bull.

Legolas jogged up, and grabbed Fili’s arm. Completely ignoring the other men, he told Fili, “He spins. Every time he comes out of the gate, he bucks once, then starts spinning. He usually goes left first, but not always, and he will switch if you stay on long enough. Once you’re on the ground, he’ll go after you so be ready to run.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Fili asked.

“Because the other people have seen him ridden before. You haven’t. I have to get back before my father notices I’m here. Good luck!” And with that, Legolas dashed off.

Watching him go, Bofur said, “Well, that was almost decent of him. I still don’t like him though.” Fili just shook his head in exasperation. He wouldn’t ever be as intimate as Legolas wanted, but as he got used to the man, he didn’t seem quite so bad.

He asked Kili to hold his bull rope for him, and went to the arena to watch his competition. The other men followed him and they all stood by the rails. Fili put his gloves on so they could warm up a bit and the rosin would be less stiff. He climbed up to sit on the top rail, but when Kili tried to do the same, he said to stay on the ground. Kili gave him an odd look, but did as he asked.

The first bull was in the chute already, and the rider was ready. On the signal, the gate was thrown open and the bull came charging out. The rider fell off almost immediately, to the jeers and catcalls of the crowd. Fili and several other men hopped down off the rail, waving their hats and trying to catch the bull’s attention. When the bull turned in Fili’s direction, he nimbly hopped back on to the fence. It had given the rider the chance to get to his feet and out of the arena. Once the rider was clear, a few men on horseback herded the bull out of the arena, and the setup started again with the next bull.

The second rider did better, but not by much. The bull came out of the chute with a lunge, and the rider slipped. He might have been okay anyway, but he dropped his free hand and held on to the rope. If you touch the bull, rope, or anything with your free hand, you are instantly disqualified.

The next rider was a tall man, almost as tall as Dwalin. Fili pointed this out to Thorin, and told him to watch. He explained that the center of gravity was higher up on a tall man and would make it more difficult. Sure enough, the first time the bull started to spin, the tall man slipped to the side, then was flung away by the force of the spin.

Fili’s turn was next. He dropped his hat on Kili’s head, telling him, “I expect to get that back,” and he reclaimed the bull rope, got a chorus of good luck from everyone, and headed to the chute.

He watched as they got Smaug into the chute. To his surprise, Legolas was there helping. It much gave shown on his face because Legolas gave him a big grin and said, “I actually do know which end of the bull is which, you know.”

“Be careful or someone might mistake you for a ranch hand,” Fili teased.

Legolas simpered, “I’ll just have to get a manly specimen like you to defend my honor.”

By now the flank strap had been applied, and Fili bent to check it. Too tight and the bull wouldn’t buck at all, and probably wouldn’t even move. Too loose, and it could tangle around the bull’s leg, causing injury for both the bull and rider. Legolas squatted down next to him, and quietly told Fili, “I’m cheering you on. I’d offer you a kiss for luck and ask to take you sparking, but I’ve seen how Kili is looking at you.”

A quick glance showed Fili that Kili was indeed glaring at Legolas. When he noticed Fili looking his way, the brunet gave a wave and a sickly looking smile. He smiled and waved back, but Kili still looked worried.

Legolas handed Fili a cow bell to hang from the bull rope. The noise was supposed to encourage the animal to buck, but in Fili’s experience that didn’t work. However, the weight of the bell would help the bull rope fall off when he released it so no one would have to try and get it off the angry bull later. Moving slowly so he didn’t startle the animal in the chute, Fili got the bull rope wrapped around the bull’s chest and positioned where he wanted it.

Fili climbed on to the rails of the chute, one foot on either side so he was straddling the chute area. Smaug was directly below him, and all he would have to do is lower himself down and he’d be on the bull’s back. He pulled the rope taut slowly, getting it tight enough so it wouldn’t slip when the bull started to move. There was a moment when Smaug threw his head back, but Fili held still, waiting until the bull settled down again. Finally he had the rope tight.

This was the dangerous part. Fili stepped down, still supporting his weight on the sides of the chute. He hadn’t put any of his weight on the bull yet. If the bull decided to act up in the chute, it would hurt Fili, and probably do some damage to itself while it was at it. One wall slid so it could act as a squeeze chute to try and calm the animal, but that would pin Fili inside with it.

Fili’s full concentration was on the animal below him. Slowly, he lowered himself down, putting his weight on the animal bit by bit. Finally he was sitting on the bull, and his world had narrowed.

He was dimly aware of the crowd of people talking, other people moving around, everything else that was going on, but it wasn’t important right now. For Fili, time had suspended and all that fell away. What was important now was the dull clang of the cowbell as the bull shifted beneath him. The way the motes of dust glittered like gold in the sun and how the horns in front of him gleamed in the light. The smell of the rosin on his glove, and the scent of the bull. The feel of the rope wrapped around his wrist, and the warmth of the bull’s hide, expanding with each breath it took. He flexed his fingers once in the glove, then again, minutely adjusting his grip on the woven leather handle. He scooted forward on the bull’s back, until he was almost sitting on his hand. He tightened his hold on the handle and tucked his elbow in against his stomach. He shifted his legs a bit, making sure he had a tight grip with them. He raised his other arm high in the air and took a deep breath. He looked up and was a little surprised to see Legolas standing by the gate. Their eyes met and Legolas gave him an encouraging smile. Fili didn’t smile back, but dipped his chin in a sharp nod. On that signal, Legolas threw open the gate and leaped on to the rail of the corral, out of the way.

The world exploded. The gate wasn’t even completely open before the bull was in motion. Smaug lunged out of the chute, and Fili felt the bull’s head lower in preparation to kick. He braced himself against his tucked in arm, and kept his legs squeezed tight around the bull. To any observer, it looked like he was sitting directly on the bull. Instead, his seat was an inch or two above the bull’s back, to prevent getting jarred badly when the bull landed. Fili was holding on with his legs, and using his grip on the rope mainly as a way to keep his balance and not slide too far back or forward on the bull. He made sure his other hand was held up and out, visible at all times, but was able to move his arm a bit for balance.

Legolas was right. As soon as the bull had all four hooves back on the ground, he went into a spinning leap. When Smaug realized that wouldn’t work, he did a series of stiff legged bunny hops, trying to dislodge the annoying human from his back.

Fili had time to think ruefully that it was just his luck that he’d wind up with a bull that knew what it was doing, but then he was brought back into focus when Smaug ran a few steps and did a spinning leap in the opposite direction. Smaug then took a few running steps, kicked his hind legs, and then immediately threw his head back. If Fili hadn’t been paying close attention, he would have lost a few teeth. As it was, the bull’s head got a little too close to his face for comfort. The bull lunged forward again and leaped into the air, twisting as all four of his legs left the ground.

It seemed like he had been on the back of that bull for hours, but finally Fili heard the shrill whistle. He had made it the entire ride. So far, no one else had managed to do that, so that meant he was winning. It wasn’t over quite yet, though.

Able to use his free hand without fear of disqualification now, he quickly unwrapped the rope from his wrist. He waited until Smaug threw his hind legs up in a kick. Fili quickly threw the bull rope loose, and flung a leg up and over the bull’s lowered head. He landed on his hands and knees in the soft soil, but wasted no time jumping up and getting out of the way. He headed for the nearest railing but didn’t climb it yet. The other riders around the ring had jumped in to distract the bull, just has he had done for them. Smaug had turned to go after one of them, so Fili jogged back out to grab his bull rope, which had fallen off when he let it go.

The bull heard the clang of the cowbell still attached to the rope. He spun around, tracking the noise that had been annoying him, but Fili had already made it back to the rails. Shaking the rope to hold the bull’s attention, Fili waited until all the other men were out of the arena, and then hopped up on top of the rail himself. He threw the rope around his chest like a bandolier, then jumped down from the railing.

Legolas was already there, and Fili practically landed on him. The lanky blonde threw his arms around Fili exuberantly, congratulating him. Fili thought that might have been the first time he had seen Legolas with a true smile, instead of the mocking smirk he usually worn. He clapped the man on the back, thanking him. Still, the competition wasn’t over yet.

Fili made his way back to where Kili and the others were standing. Bofur and Thorin clapped him on the back, and he heard Dwalin shouting “Well done!” from the stands. Fili reclaimed his hat from Kili, and turned and gave Dwalin an elaborate bow. He blushed when everyone in the stands cheered.

Kili took his hands, and Fili could feel him trembling. “Is that it, then? Are you done?” Kili asked.

“Not quite. The others have to finish their rides, and I need to stay here in case they need help. After that it’s usually a custom for everyone who participated in the rodeo to ride around the arena a couple of times,” Fili explained.

By now, the next bull was in the chute and ready to go. Fili climbed to sit on the top railing, helping to keep an eye out for trouble. This rider almost made it to the whistle, but he lost his balance and was thrown with just a couple of seconds left. Fili didn’t even bother getting down from the rail. The bull made a beeline for the exit, not interested in anything else.

The last rider was a vaquero, and as Fili watched him prepare, he thought that this man might offer real competition. He acted like he knew what he was doing in the chute. Still, Fili knew that all that mattered was what happened after the gate opened.

The rider nodded, the gate was flung open, and the bull lunged out. The man was doing fine for a couple of seconds, but then he made the mistake of trying to hold on with his hand while he used his spurs to goad the bull into kicking more. He lost his grip with his legs when he tried it, and slid backwards on the bull. He couldn’t pull himself forward again, and when the bull kicked, it threw him off. That should have been the end of it, except the man’s bull rope tangled around his arm, pulling tighter around his hand. He was hung up on the bull, and unable to let go to free himself.

In a flash, Fili was in the arena, running towards the rampaging bull. Three other men were coming from different directions, all trying to catch the bull’s attention. If they couldn’t get the man off the bull, he would be trampled to death. Even if he wasn’t killed, there would be a good chance he could lose his hand, or the entire arm.

Yelling and waving his hat, Fili caught the bull’s attention. The animal paused for a moment, confused. It took a few steps toward Fili, but then a man to its other side did the same thing. The bull didn’t know which way to go, so turned back and forth. While Fili and two other men worked on keeping the bull distracted, the fourth man ran in and was trying to cut the rider free.

With relief, Fili saw the rider fall to the ground. His arm was bent at an odd angle, but he was alive. Unfortunately the bull noticed too, and started to spin in the injured man’s direction. Fili started waving his hat and shouting again, but that didn’t work, so he charged the bull.

The bull was not sure what to make of this human running directly at him, so it froze for a second. Fili could hear people yelling his name, but he couldn’t take his attention away from that bull. He could see that behind the bull, the injured rider was being helped to safety. About twenty feet away from the bull, he stopped, still yelling and waving his hat.

Confused, angry, and tired, the bull wanted nothing more than to get away from all the noise and annoyance. It lowered its head, affecting a threatening posture. Fili lowered his hat and quit yelling, waiting to see what the bull was going to do. The bull took a few steps in his direction, but Fili didn’t move.

Finally, one of the wranglers on horseback made it into the arena, and positioned his horse between the bull and Fili. The bull was more than happy to forget about Fili, and ran for the exit gate at the first urging. Fili walked back to the railing, and climbed over it.

Everyone from the Arkenstone was there, along with Nori, Dori, and Bard. They all seemed intent on congratulating him. After a round of hugs and handshakes, Fili was finally able to reach Kili.

Kili caught him in a spine cracking hug, and whispered in his ear, “What is it with you and bulls? You’re insane. You know that, right?”

Jokingly, Fili told him, “Yeah, I might be crazy, but you still love me.”

Kili started to say something, but Thranduil called Fili up to the dais. With that artificial smile, he spoke loudly enough for all to hear and declared, “It looks like our new farrier is also our new bull riding champion!”

While the crowd cheered, Thranduil tied a blue ribbon around Fili’s upper arm, and handed him the prize purse. As he shook Fili’s hand, he quietly said, “It seems like you saved that man’s life. This is the first rodeo I’ve held in quite a while that didn’t have a serious injury.” Still keeping that insincere smile, he hissed through his teeth, “You ruined my fun.”

With an insincere smile of his own, Fili told him, “I would apologize, but I’m not one damned bit sorry.” With another wave, he stepped off the dais and rejoined his friends.

Fili fastened the small purse of money to his belt, flipping it so it was tucked inside his pants so he wouldn’t lose it. Still, he couldn’t help but check every few minutes to make sure it was still there. He got Pete, and they joined the customary ride around the arena to signal the end of the rodeo. Pete was in high spirits too, so they couldn’t resist showing off just a little. Pete did a few simple tricks and then took a bow, much to the delight of the children watching.

After stopping to talk to people several times, and accepting a few offers of food now that his nerves were settled, Fili made his way through the crowd. Legolas caught up with him, and gave him another hug and congratulations. He melted away into the crowd when Kili came up, however.

After watching Legolas leave, Kili said, “Oin told us the man’s arm is broken, but it should mend. Y’all saved his life.”

Fili nodded and said, “I’m glad he’ll be okay.”

“We are getting packed up to leave. Are you coming with us? Or did you want to stay here a bit longer?”

Fili was tired and starting to get sore. He was also getting tired of everyone here wanting to stop and have a chat with him. He appreciated the well wishes, but enough was enough. “I’m going home with you.”

With one of those blinding smiles, Kili just said, “Good,” and walked back with him to where the others were waiting.

On the way home, the others were chatty, recounting Fili’s ride, and how the other rider got hung up on the rope. Fili was worn out and a little embarrassed by all the talk, so he just rode Pete quietly. He couldn’t resist patting his winnings once more though. He knew he could do it, and now he had proven it to everyone else too. Now he had the money to start a farrier shop of his own, and maybe buy enough land to raise a few horses. He had the ability now to make something of himself and his future. He’d sit down the first chance he got, and decide what he was going to do.

He glanced over at Kili, and caught the brunet’s eye. Fili couldn’t help but smile at him. Maybe Kili would take him seriously if he was a business man, and at least wouldn’t be ashamed to be associated with him in public.

Still smiling, Fili leaned forward and patted Pete’s neck. For the first time in a very long time, Fili allowed himself to have a little hope about his future.

 

 


	19. If I Die Young

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tag update!  
> Trigger warnings - this chapter contains violence and mentions guns.
> 
> Edited to add the story got a pic! It's beautiful and lovely and amazing! Go see the thing!  
> http://tokiyoh.tumblr.com/post/81534185533/cowboy
> 
> Thank you so much Tokiyoh!

Last night Fili had been so tired he was asleep as soon as he hit the bed. Still, he got up when the rooster crowed, and went to feed the horses. At least they didn’t have any work today. He was a little stiff from the rodeo yesterday, but he would limber up as he moved around.

The plan for today was a town picnic this afternoon, and a dance this evening. Then tomorrow the drovers would start the cattle drive to the rail yard. The events today were going to be much less formal than the previous dance. It was to celebrate that the hard work of the round up was over, and to show the trail hands a hospitable time so they would be willing to come back and take the cattle to the rail yard again next year. Fili had been to his share of events like this one, but he had always been one of the trail hands. This would be his first time as one of the townsfolk.

That brought a smile to his face. He never thought he’d settle down anywhere, much less here. He almost couldn’t believe it. Still, why not here? The people had mostly been kind and friendly, he had a skill that was needed, and there was Kili.

Maybe he’d talk to Kili today after the dance. He wanted to know if what they had was something the brunet used as a fun way to pass the time, or if it was more serious. Fili wanted to know if Kili would consider him as a suitor. Now that he had the means to start his own business and have a home of his own, maybe Kili would take him seriously.

Also, he wanted to do this for himself. It seemed like his entire life people had told him he was worthless, was nothing, and would never amount to a hill of beans. He didn’t care what those people thought, but he wanted to be able to prove it to himself. He knew he’d never be anything like the fine gentlemen who lived in big cities and wore fancy suits to work every day. But he knew that he was good at what he did, and he could take pride in his work.

Fili decided he’d look around the area a bit first before deciding where to settle. He’d have to find a place with enough land for Pete, and he wanted to get a few mares too. He could start to raise horses and train them, and selling them would help if the farrier business hit a rough patch. He could talk to people at the dance. Someone would have some ideas where there might be a good place to buy land and build a home. He’d be sure to ask Bombur and Bard. If there was any gossip going around, those two had probably heard it already. They would know if there was a good place for sale in the area.

After lunch, he helped carry dishes of food out to the wagon and get things settled. From the looks of it, Bilbo was planning on feeding the entire town himself. He grabbed a few cookies, earning a swat in the process, and went to get Pete. He found Pete hanging his head over the stall, trying to catch Chari’s attention. This time, though, the little mare was responding. Fili wondered if she was about to go into season, and if Thorin would consider breeding her with Pete. Maybe they could work something out, and finally get Ori a horse of his own. Raising a horse from birth would go a long way to helping Ori get over a lot of his fears.

Grinning at the idea of Ori helping birth a foal, Fili got Pete saddled and led him out of the stables. He decided to bring his rope, thinking that maybe he could contribute to the entertainment with a few simple tricks. He also slipped the box of sugar cubes into his pocket, figuring Pete could do a few of his tricks too.

Bofur walked by and slapped Fili on the back, saying, “Now that you’re rich, you can bring some of that money and join the poker game.”

“I think I’ll pass on that,” Fili told him.

“Aw, come on. You could double your money!”

“The easiest way to double your money is to fold it in half and stick it back in your pocket,” Fili told him with a smile as he mounted Pete.

Bofur laughed and said, “Maybe, but it isn’t as much fun.” He went and got his own horse.

Fili had a little money on him, but he was leaving almost all of it in the cabin. He wasn’t taking a chance of being robbed again, or accidentally losing it. He had plans for that money, and wasn’t about to risk it.

Finally the wagon was loaded, the dishes were secured, and everyone was ready to go. As they started heading to town, Kili rode beside Fili and gave him a smile. “You seem to be in a good mood today,” the brunet told him.

“And why wouldn’t I be in a good mood?” Fili asked. He looped the reins over the saddle horn, and swung a leg over so he was sitting sideways on Pete, facing Kili. “I’m the bull riding champ, we are going to a town picnic, the round up is over, and I have the smartest horse in the county.”

Balin called from the wagon, “You’re also the biggest show off,” but he was smiling when he said it.

Fili swung around until he was sitting backward on Pete, facing Balin in the wagon. “I’m sure I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. Me, a show off? I’m as humble as they come.” He tipped his hat to Balin and gave Ori a wink, then spun back around so he was sitting in the saddle properly.

In a quieter tone, he asked Kili, “Do you think we might have a chance to talk later? Maybe after the dance?”

Kili gave him a curious look, but said, “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

“Later, when we don’t have an audience,” Fili rolled his eyes at the rest of the men behind him. Kili smiled and agreed.

There seemed to be more people then Fili had seen before. He recognized quite a few of them, and got introduced to several more. A lot of men were trail hands, joining the party before they had to leave on the cattle drive tomorrow. He stopped to speak to a couple of them when he caught them staring at him. He spoke with them a while, discussing the rodeo yesterday, and talking about drives he had worked, until Bard pulled him away to come meet his family.

Fili was trying to spot Kili, but it was starting to feel like everyone wanted to talk to him. He got pulled away by the little tow headed girl who introduced him to her mother, declaring her plans for marriage. The girl insisted Fili have a glass of lemonade she made all by herself, and her mother hid a grin at Fili’s expression. He was saved when something else caught the child’s attention, and her mother discreetly poured out his glass.

He saw Bilbo over by the tables, but couldn’t see anyone else from the ranch. He was starting to get a little overwhelmed by all the people, so he went and got his rope from Pete’s saddle. Standing a short distance away from the crowd, he started twirling his lasso. He had it spinning by his side in a large hoop, and hopped through it back and forth a few times. Soon he had a small crowd of children watching. He offered to show a little boy how to do it, and ended up trying to teach them all how to hold a rope.

Fili was laughing as a young girl decided she would just set the rope on the ground and hop over it that way when a man he didn’t recognize came up.

“Pardon, but are you the farrier?” When Fili agreed, the man continued, “I was wondering if you can take a look at my horse? He’s favoring a leg and I’m leaving with the drive tomorrow.”

Night had already fallen, so Fili told him, “I’d be happy to check it. Can you bring him over here to the light?”

“I’m afraid he’s coming up lame. We can grab a lantern from the chuck wagon though. Can you please just take a quick look?” The man gave Fili a hopeful smile.

Fili coiled his rope back up and slung it over his shoulder and across his chest to a chorus of disappointed sounds from the children. He told them he’d be back as soon as he could, and he’d show them a new trick when he returned. Motioning for the man to lead the way, he followed the stranger away from the crowd and into the dark.

He was trying to keep up with the man without losing his footing, not really paying attention to where they were going. He asked where the horse was, but couldn’t catch the answer. He was led around the area where the cattle were being held, into the drovers’ camp. Most of the trail hands were enjoying the party back at the clearing, but there were still several men around to keep an eye on the cattle.

They finally made it to the chuck wagon. Fili stood by a dying campfire, waiting while the man got a lantern. A match flared, ruining Fili’s night vision, and it was made worse when the lantern was suddenly shoved next to his face. Squinting, he pulled back away from the bright light.

“That’s him,” he heard a voice say. He saw the shape of a large man step towards him, and the voice continued. “I’d recognize that hair anywhere.”

Still unable to see clearly with the lantern in his face, Fili took a step to the side, asking, “Do I know you?”

“You should,” the man said. Fili’s vision cleared enough to see the man’s face as he said, “I’m the one who whipped you raw after you raped my boy.” Fili’s blood ran cold as he realized it was the cook from his last job.

Whirling, he tried to run, but there was another man standing behind him. He might have been able to dodge around, but that man reached out and snagged the rope Fili still had wrapped around his chest. He staggered and a hand caught in his hair, jerking him back.

Fili flung his arm back, catching the man behind him in the throat with his elbow. The grip on his hair was gone, but someone else grabbed his arm, flinging him around and throwing him against the chuck wagon. He hit it with his chest, hard enough to knock the air from his lungs with a whoosh, and he bounced back and fell to the ground. He saw the kick aimed for his face and rolled away, grabbing the knife from his boot.

Jumping to his feet and dropping the rope, Fili backed away a few steps, holding the knife in an underhand grip. Not only could he use it to stab if he had to, but if he punched someone with the knife protruding out of the bottom of his fist like that, it would do serious damage. He was still hoping this situation could be defused without anyone getting hurt, however.

Speaking to the cook, he said, “You know I didn’t rape anyone, least of all your son. He told you that himself. I heard him.”

“What I know is that he don’t want nothing to do with women anymore. You ruined him. You probably threatened him too, and that’s why he said that.” The cook took a few steps closer to Fili, saying, “What I also know is that I told you that I’d brand you for the raping bastard you are if I ever saw you again.”

There were too many men in front of him to try to escape that way. His only hope was to run farther away from town, so he feinted to the left, and then spun to the right and started to run. He heard footsteps behind him, but they were falling away. He was hoping he might be able to loop back around and find help, and that’s when the lasso settled around his throat.

The rope started to cut off his air. He grabbed it, trying to keep it from choking him with one hand while he tried to cut it away with the knife. Before he could get free, someone grabbed his arm, jerking it up behind him and twisting his wrist, trying to get him to drop the knife. He stubbornly clung to it until his fingers were grabbed and bent backwards. He cried out as he felt one dislocate, the knife was lost, and the rope jerked tight around his neck, cutting his cry short.

He was pulled backward by the rope and a hand gripping his hair. Fili couldn’t breathe, and his hand felt like it was on fire where the finger had popped out of joint. He was jerked around then shoved to the ground, landing hard on his stomach. Still, he was able to loosen the rope enough to suck in a whooping breath. Someone kicked him in the leg hard enough for it to go numb, then another kick landed on his side, flipping him on to his back.

“Get his shirt off,” Fili heard the cook say. Hands reached for him, but he swung and connected with someone’s nose. He tried to sit up, but was kicked in the chest and was flung back into the dirt. Someone stepped on his hand and he screamed.

The rope was pulled tight again, and he could only take gasping sips of air. Someone jerked his shirt open, popping buttons off. He heard a different voice say, “He’s damn near pretty as a girl,” laughing.

“We gotta wait for the iron to heat up,” the cook said. “He likes boys anyway, so keep him entertained.”

Fili wasn’t getting enough air, he was starting to see black spots at the edges of his vision, and he kicked out desperately. He hit someone and heard a curse, but a blow came to the side of his head, dazing him for a moment.

That was when there was the unmistakable sound of a round being jacked into the chamber of a shotgun. Everyone froze.

“That’s about enough. Y’all had your fun. Get off of him and step back,” Legolas said.

The men stepped away from Fili. He jerked the rope from his neck, gasping and curling up on his side, cradling his injured hand. He couldn’t do anything yet but lay there. He saw Legolas holding a shotgun steady and aimed at the cook.

“Boy, you best walk away and go back to daddy before you get hurt. You can’t take us all,” the cook said with a wide smile.

Legolas got that familiar smirk, and told the large man, “Maybe not, but I can damn sure take your head off first. Then we’ll see who is next. I’m ready to throw down, how about you?”

Still trying to catch his breath, Fili thought Legolas looked insane in the firelight. Grinning and his eyes gleaming behind that shotgun, he looked like he meant every word he had said.

Apparently the cook thought so too. He took a step back, saying, “Let him go, fellas. He ain’t worth it.”

Without taking his eyes off the fat cook, or lowering his gun, Legolas asked in a low voice, “Can you walk, Fili? I need you to get up, okay? Come over here.”

Fili knew that if Legolas let his guard down, they were both probably dead. It took him a couple of tries, but he was finally able to get to his feet. He couldn’t stand up straight, his leg was throbbing where he had been kicked, and he was cradling his hand, but he was able to slowly hobble over to the tall blonde.

“Watch behind me, okay?” Legolas whispered, and started backing away, keeping the group of men in his sight. He never lowered his shotgun, and he kept that insane smirk. At the moment he was one of the most beautiful things Fili had ever seen.

Slowly and painfully, Fili made his way out of the camp, Legolas walking backward behind him. Finally they got far enough away for Legolas to relax and lower his gun. Fili staggered, and whimpered when Legolas caught his elbow. It had jarred his injured hand. Legolas muttered a curse when he saw Fili’s finger jutting out at the wrong angle.

“How did you know I was there?” Fili rasped. His throat was killing him, but he wanted to know.

Still looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was following, Legolas told him, “I heard my father mention it. He’s the one that told them who you were.” The smirk was gone, and his face was shuttered, hiding his emotions.

Fili was certain they had been walking for days, but they eventually made it back to the party area. He refused to get close, however. He wasn’t about to walk into the middle of the entire town looking like this. He stopped a short distance away and leaned against a tree. He just couldn’t hold himself up anymore. He wound up sliding down, until he was sitting propped up against the trunk.  

In the rasp that was all he could manage right now, he said, “Go find Thorin or someone, please.”

“I’m not leaving you out here alone. You’d be helpless if they came looking for you,” Legolas was adamant.

“Just need to go home,” Fili tried to explain.

With a grim look, Legolas told him, “Stay there.”

Wondering where Legolas thought he was going to go, Fili tiredly nodded agreement. Legolas stepped away from the tree, closer to the light but still keeping Fili in sight. He motioned one of the children over, and whispered something. The boy ran off, and Legolas came back to keep watch.

The boy returned, dragging Bofur by the hand. Fili heard Legolas sigh, muttering “Oh great. Out of everyone, the kid brings Bofur.”

Bofur stopped a few yards away, spitting out, “What do _you_ want?”

“Fili’s been hurt,” Legolas started to say, moving aside so Bofur could see. Before he could say anything else, Bofur ran to Fili.

After taking one look at Fili, Bofur rounded on Legolas, shouting, “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Legolas shouted back.

So much for discretion, Fili thought as the shouting started to draw attention. Bard was the first one to come see about the commotion. When he saw Fili, he darted away, and returned with Oin.

By this time people were starting to crowd around, so Bard and Oin made them back up. Bofur and Legolas were still shouting at each other. Kili came running up and froze when he saw Fili. He knelt on the ground, careful not to touch Fili, murmuring, “Oh, your poor hand. “

Wanting to clear up some of the confusion, Fili hoarsely said, “Legolas helped me. He saved me.”

Kili turned and yelled at Bofur, “Stop it Bo! Legolas helped Fili! He didn’t hurt him!”

The vindicated look Legolas had was shattered when Thranduil spoke up. “You helped him?”

Legolas pressed his lips together, but told his father, “Yes. I wasn’t going to let those men torture him. They were going to brand him.”

Thranduil narrowed his eyes, but otherwise showed no emotion when he hissed, “You are pathetic. You are weak, just like your mother was. You’ll never be a real man, and you’re no son of mine. I never want to see you again.” With that, he turned and walked away.

Legolas didn’t move. He stood in stunned silence, and so did everyone else. Even Bofur had nothing to say.

Fili whispered to Kili, “He saved me, we have to do something.”

Before Kili could respond, Oin told Fili, “Your finger is dislocated. I have to try and fix it now, before the swelling gets worse. Take a deep breath, because this is going to hurt.” That was the only warning he gave before he grabbed Fili’s wrist with one hand, jerking the finger hard and popping it back into place. Fili screamed, the pain from everything was too much, and he passed out.


	20. Pour Me

Everything hurt. Fili didn’t want to wake up because the whole world was pain. He couldn’t go back to sleep once he remembered what happened, however. He opened his eyes to find himself back in his own bed. The sun was up and entirely too bright. It made his head hurt worse.

His first thought was of Pete. He didn’t remember how he got home, or anything that happened after Oin set his finger. Looking at his hand now, he saw it was swollen, but had been splinted and wrapped. After taking a quick survey of the rest of his body, he decided that the finger was the worst of it. He was hurting, but he would heal.

He sat up on the edge of the bed, and had to stay there for a minute. The motion had made him dizzy and a little queasy. After his head quit spinning so much, he stood up slowly. He didn’t know who had undressed him and got him into bed, but his clothes were nowhere to be seen. He pulled out some trousers and a shirt from the trunk and carefully got dressed.

When he made it outside, he was able to see Pete in his corral. That was a huge weight off of Fili’s shoulders. He made his way to the main house to see if he could find out what else had happened.

Fili went to the kitchen, but Bilbo was the only one around. As soon as he saw Fili, he started fussing. “Why are you even out of bed? Sit down! Are you hungry?”

“Not really, thanks, but I wouldn’t refuse a cup of coffee. Where is everyone?” Fili took a seat at a stool out of the way.

“They’ve gone to make sure the cattle drive gets off with all the drovers. We didn’t quite trust them not to try and sneak back around,” Bilbo got a cup ready for Fili and handed it to him. “How do you feel?”

“I’m a little sore, but I’ll be fine.” Fili smiled at Bilbo’s dubious look. “I’ve had worse than this before. What happened after the doc fixed my hand?”

“All hell broke loose,” Bilbo snorted. “The drovers claimed you attacked them and they had your knife for proof. No one saw anything except Legolas, and he said he didn’t see the start of the whole thing. Then Lizzie came over and started screaming that they killed you and she got everyone worked up. I think the children were planning your funeral at one point. You were still out cold, and Oin told us it would be best if you just rested. So we got you in the wagon, grabbed Pete, and brought you home.”

“Where is Legolas now? Did his father really mean that stuff?”

“I think he stayed with Bard last night. I don’t know if Thranduil will change his mind or not,” Bilbo said with a sigh. “He’s always been strict with Legolas, and has done nothing but criticize him since he grew up. That boy can’t ever do anything right in the eyes of his father.”

“He saved my hide, you know.” Fili wanted to talk with Legolas. Maybe there was something he could do to help.

“So you said. What happened?” Bilbo sat down to listen while Fili told an abbreviated version of the story. Before he could finish, a voice hailed the house from outside. Fili’s eyebrows popped up when Bilbo picked up a rifle. Bilbo saw the look and shrugged.

Fili followed Bilbo outside to find a wagon with the doctor and four children in it, one of them the little tow headed girl. He nodded a greeting as the doctor climbed out and started helping the children down.

“I thought I’d come out and have a look at you,” Oin told Fili. “And Lizzie wouldn’t rest when she got wind of it. Neither would the rest of them. They all figured you for dead last night when you passed out. Just be glad it isn’t every kid in town. You made a bunch of friends it seems.”

Lizzie thrust a basket in Fili’s direction. “I made you these. Mama made the jelly, though. It’s supposed to be good if you are hurt.”

Fili took the basket and looked inside to find a jar of calves foot jelly and some rather lumpy biscuits. “Did you make these all by yourself?”

With a proud grin, the little blonde told Fili, “Yeah, but Mama helped me get them out of the oven.”

Making a show out of taking a bite, Fili watched her with some amusement as he chewed. Yes, they were misshapen, and he thought he might have bit into a lump of flour, but all in all, he’d eaten worse. “These are delicious, miss. Thank you very much. And tell your mama thank you for the jelly.”

With a gracious nod, she turned to the other children and announced that they would visit Pete now. The three men watched her march them off, and Bilbo muttered, “That child is going to be an unholy terror when she grows up.”

Oin gave him a look and said, “What do you mean when she goes up? She already is. She damn near formed a lynch mob when she thought Fili was dead.”

“Remind me to stay on her good side,” Fili said, and they both solemnly agreed.

“Well, let me see your hand,” Oin told Fili. They sat on the porch while the wrapping was unwound and the doctor inspected the finger. After making Fili try to move it around a bit, and looking over the other injuries, he said, “You should be just fine. Rest that hand for two weeks or so to give the finger time to go back to normal. No farrier work and no roping for at least a week. Understand?” He started to wrap Fili’s finger again.

Fili nodded, thinking that he lost his good rope anyway. He’d have to get a new one from Bard.

“Any news from town?” Bilbo asked.

“The drive got off without incident. If the drovers noticed that people might not have been as friendly as before, no one mentioned it. Also, expect visitors when people find out Fili will be alright.” At Fili’s look of surprise, he told him, “What? You surely didn’t expect to be ignored? I bet by the end of tomorrow, you have at least four more jars of jelly and more cakes than you can stand.”

Fili knew that people rallied around if there was an injury or illness in a community. He was just having a hard time fitting himself into that role. “You can tell everyone I’ll be fine. There’s no need to make a fuss.”

Oin gave him a look that he couldn’t interpret. “Of course there is no need, but people make a fuss anyway. You’re our farrier. Everyone will want to see for themselves that you are well.” With that, he rose and yelled for the kids. He clapped Bilbo on the back, reminded Fili to take it easy, and bid them farewell.

After they left, Fili gave Bilbo the jar of jelly and told him he needed to run into town. Since the doctor had pronounced Fili more or less fit, the small man couldn’t argue about it too much. Fili got Pete saddled with a little difficulty, but eventually was able to make it.

Once he got to town, Fili went straight to the store. If the doctor was right, he wanted to avoid as many people today as possible. He didn’t feel like having to talk and be polite to everyone in town. Thankfully there wasn’t anyone in the store but Bard. After a few minutes of chitchat and getting another rope, Fili asked if Legolas was around. Bard directed him toward the tavern.

Sure enough, Legolas was at the tavern, sitting at a table by the back. After greeting Bombur, Fili got a drink and went and joined him.

“You look awfully spry for someone who was supposed to be dead. I’m sure everyone who was planning your funeral will be disappointed,” Legolas said in greeting.

“I’ve already had a visit from some of the children. I guess they decided that they will tolerate me living since it means they get to play with Pete,” Fili said. “I wanted to come and check on you.”

“Why? I’m not the one who passed out under a tree.”

“I heard what your father said to you.”

“Oh. That.” Legolas took a slow sip of his drink, not looking at Fili.

“Yeah, that.” Fili thought for a second, trying to choose his words. “Why did you help me if your father was going to act like that?”

That got a grin from Legolas. “Don’t flatter yourself. That wasn’t about you. Well, not entirely, anyway. I’ve been waiting for something similar to happen. You were simply the excuse he needed.”

Fili knew what it was like to have an intolerable father, so he didn’t want to pry. Still, he said, “Do you want to talk about it?”

To his surprise, Legolas sighed, and quietly told him, “My father has a friend in Chicago. Loads of money, politician, very influential. He has a lovely daughter. She’s a sweet girl, beautiful and smart too. We met once, several years ago when we were both just children. Recently our fathers decided we should get married.” Legolas took another careful sip of his drink, making Fili wonder how drunk he already was. After a second, Legolas murmured, “I said no.”

Fili wasn’t quite sure what to say. “Why?”

Arching an eyebrow, Legolas said, “She wants children. She wants a happy home with an adoring husband. It wouldn’t be fair to her. Besides, could you imagine a society debutante in our tiny town? She’d be miserable. And I’m not going to Chicago, because then I’d be miserable. Better to let her find someone she can at least share some affection with. I’m not a _complete_ bastard, after all.” He finished his drink and set the glass down.

Fili watched as Legolas poured another drink from the bottle in front of him. “You never answered my question, though. Why did you help me at all?”

“Because I’m enough of a bastard to not help someone badly outnumbered?” He smirked. “Don’t answer that. Maybe I just couldn’t stand to see that ass of yours get branded before I could get my hands on it.” Fili watched him silently as he took another sip. After a moment, Legolas said, “Or maybe I don’t have many friends here. And you’ve always been kind, even when I have not.”

They sat in silence for a moment, then Fili said, “I guess I’m the town’s new farrier.”

“So you’re going to stay?” When Fili nodded, Legolas told him, “I wish you luck with it. I’m going west.”

With some surprise, Fili asked, “What’s west?”

With that ever present smirk, Legolas said, “I have no idea. I hear there’s a city by the sea where you can eat oysters every day if you want them. Regardless, it’ll be a fresh start. I think it will do me some good.”

“If you come back this way, look me up,” Fili said. Standing, he bid Legolas farewell, and left him drinking alone.

 

 


	21. Long Time Gone

Fili glanced over at Kili and Ori, who were sitting on the porch rails with amused expressions. At the moment, he would have gladly flipped them both ass over teakettle off the rails and left them in the dust. The woman who was currently talking at him might object to that, however. God knows she seemed to object to just about everything else. He’d given up trying to have a conversation and was just letting her ramble on.

Oin had been correct in guessing that people would want to come and see if Fili was well. It seems like half the town had marched through, bringing cakes and pies, biscuits and cookies, and the ever present calves foot jelly. When one woman decided to be different and brought cornbread instead, he could have kissed her. And of course, everyone wanted to sit and chat a moment with their farrier.

Nerves severely taxed, Fili was trying to be polite to everyone. He had given up on being friendly long ago. Now it was an effort not to whip out a gun if he saw someone else coming down the lane. He had tried recruiting Ori and Kili to help, but they were worse than useless. They were just watching him squirm.

Bless Bilbo, though. Bilbo had been a guide through these murky social waters. Making tea, arranging cookies on plates, helping with conversations, and reminding Fili of names, Bilbo had been invaluable.

Finally, the mouthy woman decided it was time to go. Fili stood and glanced at Bilbo. When he saw Bilbo pointing to a cake, Fili smiled and thanked the woman for the cake, saying he could just tell it was going to be delicious. She preened, and invited him to come by for dinner with her family one day. Wondering if this is what a moth in a web felt like, Fili just made a noise that he hoped was agreeable. It took forever, but eventually she was gone.

Stretching so hard his back popped, Fili said, “Do you think anyone else is coming?”

“It’s getting late,” Bilbo told him. “I imagine that’s going to be about it for the day.”

“Aw, Fili, are you in need of more attention?” Kili teased.

While Bilbo was cleaning up, Ori grabbed a napkin and started waving it around, simpering and talking in a falsetto. “Oh Mister Farrier sir, could you possibly come to town and look at my horse?”

“Gee, ma’am,” Kili said, in the worst imitation of Fili, “my hands messed up for a couple of weeks.”

“Well, you still have the other one,” Ori batted his lashes and blew kisses at Kili.

Feeling his face flame, Fili told them, “I didn’t know what she meant. I thought she really needed me to see to her horse!”

Talking normally now, Ori said, “Seriously? How could she even ride a horse with her corset cinched that tight?”

Still laughing at Fili, Kili told him, “She doesn’t even own a horse. She’s a whore, Fili.”

“And how do you know that?” Thorin’s voice cut through the laughter as he came through the yard.

Fili helped Bilbo carry in the tea tray, leaving a red faced Kili stammering and sputtering on the porch with Thorin.

After dinner that night, Fili pulled Thorin to the side and asked about Pete and Chari breeding. When Thorin agreed, he asked about buying the foal. He explained he wanted to get it for Ori. With a bemused expression, Thorin told him that if he got Ori to agree to ride it, they could have the foal for free.

They joined the others on the porch as Bilbo passed out slices of cake that had been brought by a visitor earlier. Fili just stared at it, because he had already eaten enough sweets throughout the day to make him slightly sick. There were seven jars of jelly in the kitchen now. He had been a little shocked by the amount of people who had come to see him and bring things. Sure, there had been a certain number of people who came out of curiosity, but the majority of them had seemed to genuinely care about his well-being.

Listening to the others chat about their day, he looked around. Everyone was relaxed, smiling, joking with each other. Ori and Dwalin had their heads bent together, murmuring something and smiling. Kili and Bilbo were watching Bofur whittle something while Thorin was leaning back in his chair, tamping down his pipe and chatting with Balin. They were all a family, a unit that worked together and cared for each other.

Fili had lost his best friend when he was twelve in the silo accident. Later that same year, he had lost everyone but his father. No, he corrected himself, he had lost his father then too. There was a different man wearing a familiar face after that, driven crazy from grief and drinking. The next year, he had left.

He had spent so long going from job to job, place to place, that it had become normal for him to remain closed off. Why bother getting close to people when you wouldn’t see them again in a few months anyway? That might explain why he was so attached to Pete. Pete was predictable and steady, a rock for Fili to rely on. He didn’t understand people, but he understood Pete just fine.

Then he stumbled on to this ranch full of small problems and disrepair, laughter and love. He still didn’t understand people any better, but somehow he had flailed his way through misunderstandings and arguments to become a part of this crazy family. Although he didn’t fully understand why, he knew that the people on the Arkenstone, and to some extent the people in the town, had taken him in and made him one of their own.

“Fili? Are you okay?” Kili’s soft question interrupted his train of thought.

He realized he had been staring at his slice of cake for some time now. Everyone was starting to disband and go about their separate pursuits for the night. With a smile, Fili told Kili, “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

***

A few days later, Fili went with Thorin to look at a few horses. With Fili’s advice, Thorin ended up buying two green broke horses. They would accept a bridle and a lead line, but other than that they were untrained. They were raised on a farm and used to people already, at least. That would make Fili’s job a lot easier.

After they got them home and put in the paddock, Fili and Thorin were leaning on the fence watching the horses investigate their new home.

“Tomorrow I will start working with them and see what they know. Then we can see where to go from there,” Fili said.

“What about your hand?” Thorin asked.

“It’s feeling better. Doc said no farrier work or roping. I can start with the horses though.”

Thorin gave Fili a glance out of the corner of his eye, but didn’t say anything.

After a few more minutes, Fili said, “I’ve been thinking a bit. I’m going to look around for a place to set down some roots. Everyone already thinks I am the town’s new farrier. I reckon I’m going to try and be just that.”

Not really surprised, Thorin asked, “So you’ll be leaving us?”

“Not right away,” Fili hastened to assure him. “I’ll work with these horses, and wait to see if Chari got bred. Also, I can help you find a replacement for me when I leave. I know a few men that are hard workers and might be a good fit for the job.” He couldn’t deny he felt a little pang in his chest when he thought of being replaced, though.

“When I first got back and saw how the ranch had been run into the ground, I was almost ready to just sell it and go back,” Thorin said. Waving his arm around, he told Fili, “Look at it now. I won’t deny that you had a major part in getting the place back up to snuff.”

Glancing around, Fili saw the paddock and stables, the barn, the silo, and the pond. It still looked the same as when he first arrived, except now he knew everything was repaired, there was a fresh coat of paint on the barn, and the silo was clean and full. “I didn’t do a whole lot, really. Mainly a bit of cosmetic stuff.”

Thorin gave him a small smile and told him, “You aren’t giving yourself enough credit.” Embarrassed, Fili shrugged, and Thorin changed the subject. “Have you spoken to Kili yet about your plans?”

“I haven’t had much of a chance. I was hoping he’d help me with the horses tomorrow. I can try to talk to him then.”

Nodding, Thorin said, “Why don’t you see what he has to say about things? Then we can discuss details about your farrier shop.”

Fili agreed, and Thorin gave him a slap on the back and went to the house. Fili stayed where he was for a while, watching the horses and thinking of what he might say to Kili.

 


	22. Wild Horses

After lunch, Kili came out to help with the horses. When Kili admitted he had no idea how to go about training a horse, Fili decided Kili could just be his assistant for now. They got the more skittish of the pair, a big buckskin gelding, and led him into a corral away from the other horses. Fili tied the horse to a post, and was trying to help it relax by grooming it for a while first. He passed Kili a currycomb and told him to start on the other side of the horse.

They groomed the horse in silence for a while, and then Kili asked, “You don’t really need my help, do you?”

Fili shook his head, and realized Kili probably couldn’t see him over the tall horse. “No, I don’t. I was hoping we’d have a chance to talk, though.”

“What about?”

Fili still didn’t quite know how to talk to Kili about all this. He decided to try and ease into it. “Well, you know I like it here on the ranch.” He heard an encouraging noise from the other side of the horse. “But I can’t stay forever.” This time when he paused, there was no noise, but he went ahead anyway. “And I’ve got that money from the rodeo…”

“You’re leaving?” Kili asked, and he bent down to look at Fili under the horse’s neck.

When the horse flinched, Fili realized that this was not a great place for this conversation. Not if Kili was going to get all emotional while they were standing beside a large, nervous animal. Keeping his voice calm, he slowly reached out his hand, saying, “I need you to hand me the comb and step outside the corral.”

“What? Why?” Now Kili’s voice sounded equal parts angry and hurt, and the horse started side stepping nervously.

Fili grabbed the bridle, holding the horse’s head still. The horse shuffled his hind feet, swinging away from Kili. “I promise we will talk about it in a minute, okay? You’re scaring the horse right now. Let me calm him down some, and then we can talk. Wait outside the corral, though.” He kept his voice even, trying to calm down Kili and the gelding both. Right now he wanted Kili away from the horse. He kept a grip on the bridle until he saw Kili swing over the rails of the corral and land safely in the dirt outside. He let the bridle go, but kept the horse tethered and started to groom it again, making soothing noises.

Sounding calmer, or at least quieter, Kili asked again, “You’re leaving?”

Fili couldn’t leave the horse alone when it was afraid, but he knew that Kili wasn’t going to wait to have this conversation. He made a mental note to refrain from anything the slightest bit emotional around horses again. Keeping his voice in low, soothing tones, he explained, “I’m going to see about finding a place around here. So I’d be leaving the ranch. I want to see about opening a farrier shop.”

Kili asked, “You want to move to town?”

Fili huffed, “Not really. I’d like to find a small place where I can keep Pete and not be surrounded by people constantly. I’ll just open the shop in town.”

The horse was starting to calm down a bit. Fili risked a glance at Kili, and saw he was starting to calm down as well. It seemed trying to soothe the horse was working on Kili too. Fili had to hide a grin at the thought that at least he didn’t have to run his boyfriend in circles on a lunge line.

“So you’d still be in the area?” Kili sounded uncertain.

“Yep. I plan on talking to Bard and Bombur the next time I go to town. They probably hear all the gossip first, so they might know of a good place to settle down.” Fili unfastened the tether, letting the horse roam free in the corral. He watched the animal with a critical eye when it went to get a drink. Satisfied that the horse was calm and well, he climbed out of the corral.

“How long have you been thinking of doing this?” Kili asked, searching Fili’s face.

Fili caught one of Kili’s hands with his uninjured one. “For a while, now. Since before the rodeo. It’s why I did the rodeo, actually. So I’d have the money to do all of it.” Fili paused for a second, worrying at his lip nervously and then mentally told himself to cowboy up. Gesturing back and forth between them, he said, “I want to see where this thing between us might go. I want to be able to spend more time with you. If you want, that is.”

A slow smile spread across Kili’s face. “Oh, I want, alright. How about we spend some time together after supper?”

Returning the smile, Fili gave him a quick kiss. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

***

Later, after supper, Fili found himself in the bathhouse. He was sticky and still covered in horse hair from where he had been working with the gelding all day. He had washed off the worst of it before dinner, but didn’t want to go to bed like that. He had decided to take a quick bath, and was relaxing in a tub of hot water when Kili walked in.

“I was wondering where you were,” Kili said, kneeling on the ground beside the tub.

“I was sweaty and disgusting all day. I thought you’d appreciate it more if I didn’t smell so much like horse,” Fili didn’t look up. He kept his eyes closed, head back against the edge of the big wooden tub. “Want to join me?”

“Not right now,” Kili murmured, leaning over to nuzzle against Fili’s neck. Fili tilted his head to allow better access, but instead of accepting the unspoken invitation, Kili said, “Wet your hair for me.”

Fili cracked open an eye and Kili gestured at him. He closed his eyes again and slid under the water, pushing his hair back out of his face when he surfaced. Kili grabbed the soap and started washing Fili’s hair while the blond leaned back against the edge of the tub, humming in appreciation.

Leaning forward so Fili could feel his hot breath on his ear, Kili told him, “You have the most glorious hair. I love running my fingers through it, watching how it shines in the light.”

Fili could feel his face flame and he ducked his head a little. Kili either didn’t notice, or chose to ignore it. He ran soapy hands down Fili’s shoulders. Turning so he was facing Fili, Kili ran his hands down Fili’s chest. Fili felt his cock twitch when Kili lightly flicked his nipples.

Pulling back, Kili told him, “Rinse off.” After Fili obeyed, Kili moved around so he could wash Fili’s feet, moving up to wash his legs. Fili slouched down in the tub, allowing Kili to maneuver him around and resting his head on the tub’s edge. He let his legs fall open as Kili ran a slick hand up the inside of his thigh. Fili’s breath caught when Kili took his lengthening cock in hand, using slow, languid strokes until he was completely hard.   Kili sped up the pace until Fili was writhing under his touch. After a few minutes, Fili came with a groan, seed spent in the water.

“Come to my cabin when you are done?” Kili asked. When Fili nodded, he dropped a kiss on the blonde’s head and left.

Fili hurried to dry off and dress, quickly draining and rinsing out the tub. When he got to Kili’s cabin the door was closed. He tapped on it, and heard Kili call for him to enter. When he stepped inside, he didn’t see Kili, so went to the bedroom.

Fili was greeted by the sight of Kili stretched out naked on the bed. The brunet was on his back, one leg bent at the knee and cocked up, the other straight out. One arm was bent with a hand resting behind his head. The other hand was slowly working up and down, touching himself. As Fili watched, he reached down and tugged gently on his stones.

“Are you going to join me? Or just stand there and watch?” Kili teased, running his hand back up, and gasping when he twisted his wrist.

With a grin, Fili got undressed much faster than he had gotten dressed. In no time at all, he was striding to the bed naked.

Pulling Kili’s hand out of the way, he said, “Let me help you with that.”

After, they were curled up in bed cuddling. Fili was pressed against Kili’s side, head pillowed on a shoulder, idly running a hand up and down Kili’s chest.

“Why don’t you stay here? Why do you need to leave?” Kili asked.

“Because Thorin will have to hire another ranch hand, and he’ll need my room,” Fili explained. “Plus I don’t know if I will even be able to earn enough to make ends meet. I don’t know if I could pay for room and board for me and Pete on top of it all.”

“You know Thorin wouldn’t care about that,” Kili said.

“Maybe not, but I would.”


	23. It's A Great Day To Be Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Look! A thing! Cybersuzy drew an awesome and amazing thing! Thank you!  
> http://cybersuzy.tumblr.com/post/82688315365

Fili woke up with Kili curled against his back, kissing his shoulder and rutting against him. Still half asleep, he murmured something and grabbed Kili’s hand, pulling him closer.

“Are you awake?” Kili whispered in his ear, giving him gooseflesh. Fili nodded, and Kili laughed softly. “You don’t look very awake yet.”

“Awake enough,” Fili said, trying to sound a little more alert than he actually was. Kili nibbled his earlobe, and he reached back, grabbing the brunet’s hip and pushing back against him.

Kili gently pushed Fili’s shoulder, urging him to roll on to his stomach. Pausing long enough to slick himself with the small bottle of oil on the nightstand, Kili scooted on top of him. Lying down on top of Fili, he intertwined their fingers together. Slowly, he slid into Fili. Using shallow thrusts, Kili kept the pace slow until they were both panting.

Arching his back, Fili tried to get Kili to go deeper. He tried to press up, but Kili moved away. It felt good, but he wanted more. Finally he whispered, “Kili, please!”

Raising up and supporting himself on his hands, Kili thrust forward hard, making Fili gasp. He stayed like that without moving for a second, and Fili rolled his hips. Kili took one hand and held Fili’s hip so he couldn’t do that again, telling him, “I’m not going to last if you keep squirming.”

With a grin, Fili braced himself on his elbows and arched his back. He laughed when Kili moaned, but it quickly became a different noise when Kili thrust into him again, chiding “Stop that.”

Kili let go of his hip and started to move. Fili kept arching back to meet his thrusts until Kili sat back, pulling Fili’s hips up until he was on his knees. When he started moving again, this time it was faster.

Fili buried his face in the pillow and groaned, then reached a hand under to strip his cock in time with Kili’s thrusts. He turned his head so Kili could hear him murmur, “Almost there.”

The only reply Kili made was to increase his speed. Fili came over his hand with a wordless cry. Kili didn’t stop, and it was almost becoming too much when he finally found his own release. He collapsed on top of the blond, and they both lay there panting for a minute.

Kili dropped a kiss on Fili’s shoulder, telling him, “That was a nice start to the day.” He slowly pulled his softening member out of Fili, and rolled away. He didn’t go far, though, only enough to get his weight off of Fili, curling up against him.

Turning his head to face Kili, Fili gave him a kiss, telling him, “You can wake me up like that any time.” They stayed that way for a few more minutes, until they heard the rooster crow. With a sigh, Fili said, “Time to get up, I guess.”

They cleaned up, got dressed, and headed to the house for breakfast. Fili thought nothing of it when they walked hand in hand across the yard.

Later that day, Ori was watching Fili work with the new mare. She was much calmer than the gelding, so he was walking her around the corral, letting her get used to him and the idea of being trained.

“Remember when you told me you wanted to train a horse like Pete?” Fili asked Ori. When Ori nodded, he continued, “Do you still want to?”

“This one?” Ori cast a dubious eye over the mare.

Fili smiled, saying, “No, Pete covered Chari. If you’re willing, Thorin’s agreed that you can have the foal. I’ll help you train it.”

“Really?” Ori’s eyes were almost as wide as his grin when Fili nodded. “We could really train a baby horse to be like Pete?”

“It’s a foal,” Fili corrected gently, “and it would be years before you can ride on it. It’s a lot of work to have a horse. You’ll have to train it every day, feed it, and make sure it is taken care of properly. I’ll help you, but in the end it is all up to you.”

“I’d hug you if I didn’t think that horse would kick me,” Ori said. “I’m going to go tell Thorin that I want to do it. Thank you!”

Fili watched with a smile as Ori jumped from the rail and ran off. He went back to working with the mare, happy that Ori was looking forward to having a horse of his own.

After supper, Fili decided to run Pete through some tricks. He didn’t bother with a saddle, and kicked off his boots. Using voice commands and guidance from his knees, Fili got Pete out of the corral, and started walking around the yard.

Bofur was on the porch of their cabin, going over his reading. He stopped to watch, and called, “What are you doing?”

“Going over some stuff we haven’t done for a while,” Fili answered. Under his breath, he muttered, “And hoping I don’t break my neck.” He hadn’t done this stuff in months. While he wasn’t very worried about Pete, he was less sure about himself.

Walking Pete in a big circle, first they chose a path where there would be no sudden turns. Fili walked Pete around this loop twice so the horse would know where to go. Once Pete had the general idea, Fili urged him into a canter. This was faster than a trot, and much smoother. It was also a pace Pete could keep for a long time if needed.

Another loop around the yard, and Fili started doing his part. First he lay forward, letting his legs slide back until his feet were tucked up behind him. His arms were around Pete’s neck, and face against his mane. After a loop, Fili sat back up, patting Pete’s neck.

Next he slid to the side, one leg across Pete’s back, the other under the horse’s belly. His arms were around Pete’s neck, and he clung to the horse’s side. Fili felt Pete’s gait start to slow, so he murmured encouragement. Pete fell back into his canter. Fili stayed like that for a couple of loops before he swung himself back upright. Feeling the burn in his arms, he told himself he needed to work on this more than Pete did.

“Are you doing stunts?” Ori asked from the porch of the main house.

“Nah, not this time,” Fili said. “Pete is trained so he can carry someone in almost any situation. We’re going over a few things.”

Aware now that people were watching, he couldn’t resist the urge to show off a little. Balancing carefully, he maneuvered slowly until he was standing upright on Pete’s back, one foot in front of the other, arms out for balance. Pete’s gait didn’t falter.

Still, they only made it about half a loop before Fili started to wobble. Knowing he was going to fall, he didn’t want to land on Pete and hurt him. Fili leaned to the side and dove off the horse, landing on his hands and tucking into a roll. His finger gave a twinge, but he was unharmed. He dusted himself off, and clucked his tongue to call Pete to him.

“Are we going to teach my horse to do those things?” Ori looked like he didn’t know if he found that idea intriguing or terrifying.

“We can, but if we do, you will have to practice them too. You’ll have to keep going over them with your horse, or he will forget how to do them.” Fili grinned at Ori’s wide eyes, and at Dwalin’s narrow ones. He was willing to bet that Ori’s horse wouldn’t be learning many trick rides.

Hopping back up on Pete, Fili resisted the urge to do something really showy. He figured Ori and Dwalin had probably seen enough, especially if they were discussing Ori riding. Instead, he asked Ori, “Want to ride with me down the road and back?”

Ori nodded, but wasn’t quite certain how to get on the horse bareback behind Fili. With a laugh, Fili urged Pete to the porch and Dwalin gave Ori a boost up. Fili turned Pete down the road, and guided him into a canter.

“Okay?” Fili asked. Ori was clutching him so tightly around the waist it was getting hard to breathe. He hoped Ori wasn’t terrified.

“It’s fine!” Ori shouted. Fili winced a little at the volume by his ear, but he could hear the smile in Ori’s voice.

“Whoa, Pete.” When Pete stopped, Fili slid off. He got Ori to move forward, and hopped back on Pete, this time sitting behind the smaller man. “You want to go fast?”

Ori bit his lip, undecided. He got a determined look, though, and nodded.

Fili urged Pete into a walk. He told Ori, “Hold on to his mane like I showed you before. Hang on to him with your legs, too. Tighter, you won’t hurt him. When you want to go fast, tell him to get it.”

Ori shot Fili a wide eyed look over his shoulder. Fili gave him a smile of encouragement, and wrapped his arms around Ori, grabbing Pete’s mane. It wouldn’t do to let Ori fall off a horse now, not when he was starting to build confidence with the animals.

Pete walked long enough that Fili was starting to think that Ori changed his mind. Fili couldn’t see Ori’s face. He was about to ask when Ori quietly said, “Get it, Pete.”

Pete took off, and Ori laughed. Fili was glad he had been holding the mane, or he might have slid off Pete’s back with the sudden lurch. He tightened his grip, making sure that Ori was still stable.

He didn’t have to worry. Ori was bent over Pete’s neck, clinging to his mane and shouting encouragements between gales of laughter. Fili couldn’t help but smile at the sound. By the time they came charging back into the yard, they were both laughing.

After a giddy loop around the yard, they slowed and went to the main house. They dropped off Ori, and Fili started walking Pete around so he would cool off a bit. He had gotten Pete back in the corral and was brushing him down when Ori ran up with a few carrots.

After feeding Pete, Ori offered to help groom him. Fili handed over the comb and showed Ori what to do then stood back and watched.

“When will the foal be born?” Ori asked as he was working on Pete’s flank.

“It won’t be for months yet,” Fili told him, “so that means you have time to let Chari get a little more used to you.”

Wrinkling his nose, Ori said, “Why do I want to do that? She kicks.”

Fili knew that to be true, since she had tried to kick him once or twice. Even so, he told Ori, “So you can be there when the foal is born. You want to watch, right?”

Ori blinked at him and said, “I never thought about it.”

“If she gets used to you beforehand, it will be less stressful for everyone. Plus you will be able to start training the foal early. You won’t be able to ride him for a long time, but he can still start learning things and getting to know you.” Fili watched as Ori went back to grooming Pete, lost in thought.

When they were done, Fili was checking the water trough in Pete’s corral when he saw Ori slip into the barn. Curious, he stuck his head in and watched as Ori leaned on the outside of Chari’s stall. He couldn’t make out the words, but he could hear Ori talk soothingly to the little mare. When she swung her head over the stall door, Ori stumbled back a step. Then he reached out and tentatively stroked the mare’s cheek. Ori started talking again, and Chari swiveled her ears, listening.

Fili smiled and left them to it.


	24. Pancho and Lefty

Fili was in a horrible mood. He had been in town most of the day, and having to be around people was taxing. He had spoken with Bombur and Bard, but neither man knew of a decent place Fili might be able to purchase for a home. Everything was too far away, too expensive, or unsuitable. There was a place in town, but he thought he would probably go insane if he had to live in such close proximity to everyone.

Then he had spent entirely too long trying to deal with the blacksmith. He was hoping to be able to rent use of the forge to be able to fit horseshoes. The smith was reluctant to let “a horse fella” around the hot forge. No matter how much Fili tried to explain that he knew what he was doing, the smith kept claiming it would be too dangerous. So it looked like he would have to build a small forge of his own.

He was on the way home now. After dealing with people all day he mainly wanted to get home and spend some time alone.

Wriggling his fingers, he thought that at least one bit of news was good. The doctor had given him the all clear on his hand and told him it would be fine. It was still stiff and tender, but that should go away with exercise. Now maybe everyone would quit fussing at him if he so much as looked at a rope.

With a sigh, he reminded himself that wasn’t the only good thing. He’d been able to spend a lot more time with Kili lately. Now he could resume his farrier work and bring in a little extra money not only for himself, but for the ranch. All in all, life was going well.

When he got back to the ranch, he went straight to the main house to find Bilbo. He found the curly haired chef in the small garden outside of the kitchen, picking weeds out of the herb bed.

“I thought I’d provide supper, if you’re willing to cook it,” Fili called, untying a string of fish from his saddle horn and passing it to Bilbo.

With a big grin, Bilbo exclaimed, “Catfish! Where did you get these? Did you go fishing?”

Digging a bag of cornmeal out of a saddlebag, Fili told him, “I set up a trotline at the river yesterday. I picked them up on the way home.”

Taking the cornmeal, Bilbo asked him, “How did your search go?”

Making a face, Fili said, “Not great. I’m in no rush though. I’m sure I can find a place eventually. And the doc gave the all clear on my hand, so that’s good.”

With a smirk, Bilbo said, “Since your finger is better, you can help me clean the fish.”

Smiling, Fili kneed Pete into a walk toward the corral. “What’s that? I can’t hear you! I need to take care of Pete. And my hand still hurts, maybe I should go lay down.” He clutched his hand to his chest and groaned theatrically.

Flapping a hand at him, Bilbo told him, “Oh, go on then. I’ll get Kili to clean them.” He turned and went into the house, calling for Ori and Kili.

Once Pete was unsaddled and brushed off, Fili carried his stuff back to his cabin. He had gotten a few things while he was in town and he unpacked them from his bags. One was a slightly grubby, crookedly embroidered handkerchief from the towheaded girl Lizzie. He smiled and shook his head as he laid it out carefully on the trunk.

After a dinner of fried fish, he was working with his rope, hoping to help his hand limber up. Kili, Ori, and Bofur were on the porch. Bofur was reading a new book aloud, with occasional hints from the other men.

After watching a few minutes to make sure, Fili interrupted Bofur’s reading. “You might want to get Thorin. Someone’s coming up the lane.” He pointed to three figures on the road.

It was still too far away to see who it was, but they were on horseback. Kili went to let Thorin and Bilbo know they would be having visitors. Bofur went to put away his book. Ori followed Fili into his room, watching as he put on his gun belt.

“Do you think you need that?” Ori sounded doubtful.

“Better safe than sorry,” Fili said. He made sure the holster was in place and the strap that fastened around the gun was loose. He didn’t expect trouble, but it was late in the day for a casual visit. He wriggled his foot, feeling the reassuring weight of the knife in his boot. He tucked another one into his pocket, and he was ready.

Stepping back outside, Fili saw that Thorin, Dwalin and Bilbo were on the porch of the main house. Kili came over to join Ori on the porch of the cabin. Everyone else seemed unconcerned, but Fili had to resist the urge to tell Ori and Kili to get in the house.

Once the riders got close, Fili could see it was Thranduil and a couple of his hired goons. If anything, that made Fili more uptight. He crossed his arms and watched as they rode into the yard and greeted Thorin. They said something too low for Fili to catch, and Thranduil dismounted and followed the other men into the house. Fili stayed where he was, keeping an eye on the goons.

It was growing dark by the time Thranduil emerged from the house. He mounted his horse, and with a nod farewell to Thorin, they left.

“I wonder what that was about,” Ori murmured. Fili and Kili both shrugged. Fili watched to make sure the three men actually left. He told himself he was being paranoid, but he still waited until he was certain they were gone.

***

The days fell into a routine again. Fili would work with the horses for most of the day, doing any farrier work in the afternoon. Evenings were spent with Ori and Bofur, either at the stables so Ori and Chari could get used to each other, or on the cabin’s porch listening to Bofur read. Nights were usually spent with Kili.

All the hard work combined with regular meals had Fili bulking up. He had already had broad shoulders, but the added muscle was making him look even wider. He hadn’t noticed it much until he was wearing one of the shirts Kili had given him. It had grown tight enough that he felt like he was going to pop the seams if he moved wrong. He thought he should go change until he saw how Kili’s eyes tracked him. When he went into the barn, Kili followed him, pressing him against the wall and kissing him until he was breathless. After that he made a point of wearing it if he knew Kili would be around to see.

He banned Kili and Ori from the corral when he was working with the horses. They could stay outside and watch all they wanted. He just didn’t want to risk someone getting hurt.

Today he was working with the pinto mare again. Her training was coming along nicely, and he hoped that he could start trying to ride her soon. Horses were just like people, needing to practice at something to be good at it. They also needed to build up the muscles they use to carry around a person or a load. For now he had her on a lead, working on voice commands. She was starting to get the meaning of whoa when Thorin asked if Fili had a minute. Fili tied the mare off and climbed out of the corral.

Wasting no time with small talk, Thorin asked, “Have you seen Thranduil’s house?”

Shaking his head no, Fili said, “The only time I’ve been out there was for the rodeo. I didn’t pay attention to the house.”

“He’s selling his home. He’s decided to move back east now that Legolas left. He’s marrying some debutante.” Thorin shrugged. “I didn’t pay much attention to that part. The important thing is that he’s looking to sell his property. He wants to sell all of it, though, and won’t consider breaking it apart.”

Wondering if that was the same debutante he had wanted Legolas to marry, Fili pointed out, “It would be more valuable that way. No one is going to want to buy a house if all the land around it is already taken.”

“The land borders the Arkenstone to the north. If I buy it, I can easily double the size of the ranch. My problem is I don’t need another house.” Thorin arched an eyebrow and smiled at Fili. “Are you still looking for a place to live around here?”

“Are you saying you think I should buy the property? Because I don’t have nearly enough money for all that.” Fili felt a pang of regret. It would be nice, but he didn’t have enough money to buy a spread the size of the Greenleaf ranch.

“Actually I was thinking I’d buy the whole thing. Once I own it, I can split the acreage as I see fit. You could buy the house and some of the pasture lands from me. I’d keep the rest. It would mean being neighbors. If you aren’t sick of us yet though I imagine you could deal with it.” Thorin smiled and clapped him on the back. “Think about it. We can talk more after supper if you’re interested.” He turned and went back to the house.

Fili didn’t realize he was standing there slack jawed and frozen to the spot until he heard the mare nosing at the grain bucket in the corral. He blinked and gave himself a mental shake. His mind was racing as he turned back to the corral.

The Greenleaf place was only a little farther away from town than the Arkenstone. Fili hadn’t inspected the buildings, but he had seen at least one barn when they went to the rodeo. If the house was already set up, it would go without saying that wells would already be dug, garden areas were cleared, and a thousand other small details would already be taken care of.

Thorin had said he’d be willing to sell the house and some of the pastures. That meant room for Pete and any other livestock he might pick up. He could start raising horses. Eventually he could get a few cows and build up a herd. He could build a life for himself, have a place to stay, quit wandering and settle down in safety.

He’d be able to visit Kili whenever he wanted. Or Kili could come to visit him. Since they would be neighbors, maybe Kili could stay with him sometimes. It wouldn’t be far to come back to help Thorin.

Fili realized his mind was elsewhere when the mare stomped a foot. Trying to train a horse took concentration, which he was sadly lacking at the moment. He knew he wouldn’t get much else accomplished today, so he took the mare back to the paddock.

He went back to his room, intending to grab his rope and practice. Instead he stopped and looked around. He realized that he had almost nothing. Sure, he had enough for a saddle tramp: a few changes of clothes, his working equipment, and a couple of books. Stuff that could easily be packed up and taken when he went to a new job. He didn’t have any of the things he might need to be a homeowner, though. He didn’t even own a frying pan.

Feeling overwhelmed, Fili rubbed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair. He didn’t even know if this was something he’d be able to do. He still had the money from the rodeo, and a little bit he has saved. How much would a house cost? Plus all the things he’d have to buy to even be able to live in it. If he couldn’t afford it, would Thorin be willing to hold it until he could?

Was there a forge on the property? If so, he could work there and not have to deal with the obstinate blacksmith. Even if there wasn’t, maybe he could add one. Then he wouldn’t have to go back and forth to town every day.

Mind racing, he gave up on practicing with the rope. He headed out to the corral to get Pete. He needed to burn off some energy. Working with Pete would provide a welcome distraction.


	25. Wide Open Spaces

“Hey Fili? You got a letter,” Bofur called.

Fili let his rope fall from where he had been twirling it, and watched as Bofur crossed the yard. He didn’t know anyone who would be writing to him. Most of the people he had worked with in the past were illiterate, and the ones who could write didn’t know where he was. “Are you sure it’s for me?”

“Got your name on it, right here,” Bofur said somewhat proudly. He was reveling in his new ability to read and write.

“So it does,” Fili agreed, taking the sealed envelope. It had a return address but no name, and there was something a little lumpy inside. He decided to open it in the house, so if something fell out it wouldn’t be lost in the dirt.

Sitting at the table, he opened the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper. When he unfolded it, he found a tiny little nugget of gold, and a couple of small gold flakes. He stared at them in bewilderment while Bofur made an impressed whistle.

“Who’s sending you gold?” Bofur asked.

Glancing quickly at the end of the letter, Fili told him, “Legolas.”

Bofur made a harrumph noise and turned away. Curiosity kept him in the room, however, as Fili started to read.

_My Dear Fili,_

_I hope this finds you in good health. As you can probably determine from the items I enclosed, I am doing just fine. I made it to California, swam in the sea, and ate fresh fish on the beach. Have you ever seen the ocean? I can’t describe it. Water as far as the eye can see!_

_I have partial stake in a gold mine. We probably won’t ever get rich, but we will get comfortable. If you find yourself tired of the Arkenstone, there is room for another partner here._

_You can write back in care of general delivery if you are so inclined. You are under no obligation of course. I just found myself homesick, so I decided to send this to you. I hope you consider me a friend, as I do you. Although I would understand if you did not._

_Legolas_

_P.S. I have sent you the amount of gold that it takes to purchase one egg in the local general store. I should give up mining and become a merchant._

Bofur asked, “Are you going to write him back?”

“Yeah,” Fili replied. “I wonder if he knows his father is moving.”

Bofur made a noise of disapproval but no comment. Fili got up to put the letter away in his room and clapped the other man on the back in passing.

***

Thorin and Fili went over maps and land surveys. Thorin drew a rough sketch of the Greenleaf land and outlined the areas he wanted for the Arkenstone. It would divide the property almost in half, with the house on the smaller side. Everything up to the house would go to Thorin, and from the house back would go to Fili.

When Fili asked how much it would cost, Thorin quoted a ridiculously low figure.

“That’s not right. If I’m getting the portion with the house, it has to be higher than that,” Fili said.

“I’m getting more land out of it, so that sounds right to me.” Thorin crossed his arms and leaned back.

Running his hands through his hair, Fili said, “I guess it doesn’t matter. I can’t afford that yet anyway.”

Frowning, Thorin dropped his pose. “How much do you have?” Fili told him, and Thorin said, “Fine. It’s a deal.”

“What? What’s a deal?” Fili was confused.

“Your offer. I accept.” Thorin stuck out his hand.

“You can’t accept that!” Fili stared at Thorin’s hand. “That wasn’t an offer, anyway.”

“It sounded like an offer to me.” Thorin sighed and dropped his hand. “You do realize you are doing this negotiation thing wrong, don’t you?”

“It would be robbery. With a prepared house and everything, the cost should be a lot more than that.”

“Possibly, but you have me over a barrel. I don’t have enough money to buy the place. Thranduil wants to hurry and sell, so if I don’t buy it now, I’ll lose the opportunity. I think I can talk him down a little, but he’s already asking a low price. If you give me the money for your part, I’ll have enough to buy it. Then when it’s turned over to me, I can turn your portion over to you. Otherwise, someone else will buy it and you and I are both out of luck. So you see, I can’t do it without your help.” Thorin gave Fili a smug look when he finished this explanation.

“I’d loan you the money,” Fili started.

Thorin interrupted, “I’m not asking for a loan.”

“Well I’m offering.”

“I don’t care.”

They both glared at each other for a moment before Fili sighed and rubbed his face. “How did you manage to back me into a corner on this? I don’t know why I even bother arguing with you.”

“So quit arguing. Hand me your money, let me buy the ranch, and take the house. Then we will both be happy.” Thorin stuck his hand out again.

“I can’t figure out if you are a good man or a silver tongued devil,” Fili groused. Nevertheless, he shook Thorin’s hand.

***

“Now look, big guy. You don’t mind the saddle any more. The saddle is for holding people. So I’m going to sit in the saddle, you are going to hold me, and that’s just the way it is. Okay?”

Fili was working with the buckskin gelding again. The gelding was not cooperating. Every time Fili tried to mount, the horse started to sidestep and shy away. Normally he’d have someone else hold the bridle while he mounted. No one was around though, and he didn’t want to tie the nervous horse to anything. Not to mention that if the horse managed to throw him, he would prefer to land in the dirt instead of on a fence rail.

Standing beside the horse, he pet its flank and soothed it for a minute. When he thought it had calmed down enough, he lifted a foot and stuck it in the stirrup. The horse laid its ears back and shuffled a bit. Fili waited, not placing any weight on the stirrup. Once the horse settled, he slowly started to lift himself. This time he almost got his leg over the horse when it started to sidestep, then spin around. Slipping his boot from the stirrup, Fili dropped back to the ground.

He was stroking the horse’s neck to try and soothe it again when Kili leaned against the outside of the corral and greeted him. “How’s the training going?”

“Not great right now. Is Bofur or Dwalin around?” Fili said. “I could use a hand.”

“I’ll help,” Kili said, climbing into the corral.

Fili frowned at him. “Absolutely not.”

“Oh come on. Nothing’s going to happen. Let me help,” Kili wheedled, trying to look pitiful.

“No. You might get hurt.” Fili kept an eye on the gelding, making sure it wasn’t going to act up with Kili in the corral. The horse just swiveled its ears though, listening to them talk.

“I do know a little about horses, you know. I can help,” Kili insisted, pouting.

Fili grinned, thinking that Kili looked adorable when he was pouty. “You don’t know the first thing about breaking a horse.”

“Well, no. But I can follow instructions. Tell me what to do.” Kili stood with arms akimbo, still pouting.

With a sigh, Fili told him, “Fine. Come here. And you have to do exactly as I say. No games, Kili, we can get hurt.”

“No games,” Kili agreed, coming to stand by Fili. “What do you want me to do?”

I want you to get out of the corral and stay safe, Fili thought, but wisely chose not to say. Instead, he said, “You’re going to hold the bridle and keep his head still. Try not to let him drop his head so he won’t buck. And try not to let him throw his head up. If you lose your grip on the bridle, get out of the way. Got it?”

Kili nodded solemnly. He stepped up and got a grip on the horse’s bridle. He waited, watching Fili.

“I must be crazy,” Fili muttered, but he stuck his foot back in the stirrup. Moving slowly, he lifted himself. The horse fidgeted, but Kili held on to the bridle. Instead of trying to sit in the saddle this time, Fili draped himself across it on his stomach.

The horse shuffled his hind feet, but didn’t try to spin away. After a minute, it stopped, but its skin was still twitching nervously. Fili slid back down to the ground, and gave the horse a sugar cube from his pocket, murmuring encouragement.

“Will you go sit on the corral rails for a minute?” Fili asked. Kili gave him a questioning look, but obliged.

Fili took the reins and led the horse closer to Kili. When they were a few feet away, the horse shied. Fili stopped and held the animal in place, soothing it until it calmed down.

“Are you going to try to ride him again?” Kili asked.

“Not today. He’s not used to seeing people on his back. It’s spooking him when I try. We need to work on that, don’t we, big guy?” Fili cooed at the horse. The horse was unimpressed, still keeping an eye on Kili. “You can get down now. It’s getting close to dinnertime. I’ll work with him more tomorrow.”

They walked the horse back to the paddock, and went to wash up when the dinner bell rang, Kili chattering happily the whole time.

After dinner, Thorin asked to speak with Fili. He waited until everyone else had left the room, then turned and gave Fili a smile. “We got it.”

“The Greenleaf place?” An answering smile grew across Fili’s face.

“Yep. He’s moving out next week, and then it’s all ours.” Thorin held out his hand and Fili shook it. Serious now, he said, “I do have a small bit of bad news, though. I asked, and there’s no forge on the property. Are you still looking to do farrier work?”

“Yes. Well I was hoping, anyway.” Fili sighed. He had given Thorin every dime he had to buy the ranch. He didn’t have the money to build a forge. “I guess I’ll go try and talk to the smith again.”

“I have a better idea. People are used to you working here. Why don’t you just continue to use our forge? Then when you have the chance you can build your own. It’d be easier than having to go all the way to town every day anyway.”

Fili realized he was gaping, and closed his mouth. “That would be… just about perfect. How much would you want for rent?”

Thinking for a moment, Thorin narrowed his eyes. “How about you shoe the horses here in exchange?”

Unable to say anything past the sudden lump in his throat, Fili nodded. He didn’t know how he managed to earn the consideration of these people, but he was thankful for it.

“It’s a deal then,” Thorin said, sticking his hand out again.

Fili shook it and drew Thorin in for a hug, surprising both of them. “Thank you.” He stepped back and tried to regain his composure, but couldn’t stop the wide smile on his face. “I’m going to go tell Kili.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the gold in the letter -   
> During the gold rush, lots of people found a lot of gold. Almost none of those miners got rich. The merchants raked in a lot of money, though. One egg in a mining camp would cost about $25 in today's currency. 
> 
> Early mining camps were rough. When you think of a stereotypical wild west town with shootouts, drunken brawls in the saloons, and prostitutes hanging from the windows, that's about what a mining camp would look like. Add in poverty, lack of supplies and shelter, and the fact that the gold rush drew immigrants from all over the world so there were a lot of misunderstandings. You can imagine it was miserable.
> 
> However, all those immigrants came to build a new home, so build they did. They were largely responsible for road systems, schools, law enforcement, and the general civilization of those rowdy mining camps. Some of those places failed and dried up, leaving ghost towns. Other ones are still alive and thriving today. 
> 
> One summer I went on vacation and visited a lot of these places. We were camping, and I met a guy who was out there looking for gold. He showed me how to pan for gold in the creek, what to look for, and the best places to find it. I imagine he showed me these things to get me to leave him alone, since I latched on to him like an imprinted duckling. Still, he was nice, and answered all my questions. In return, we fed him dinner each night and traded stories. So there are still people out there living their dream. I don't think any of them will strike it rich, but the man I met seemed to cherish his independence more than any gold he found. 
> 
> And tucked away in my trunk is a small envelope with a couple of gold flakes in it. It's only worth a few dollars I'm sure, but the memories it brings back are priceless.


	26. Tall Tall Trees

Fili only kept his composure until he made it out to the yard. Then he stopped and bent over, putting his hands on his knees. He owned a house! Or at least, he would in a few days. After Thorin had control of the property, then they would divide it and the house would be his. He laughed softly.

The smile fell from his face when he thought about everything he would have to get. He had next to nothing. He didn’t mind sleeping on the floor but he’d have to have at least a few basics to survive.

Straightening up, he thought about the first time he rode into this yard. He had nothing then. Now he had a house, a job, a community, people he had started to think of as family, and Kili. Granted, his material status might not have changed a lot except for the house, but he was so much richer that it didn’t matter.

He was so overcome with emotion he felt dazed. He half expected to wake up any minute and discover this had all been a lovely dream. He wanted to go tell Kili, but decided to let this emotional storm pass a little first. He changed direction and headed to Pete’s corral. Once there he climbed in, draped an arm across Pete’s withers, and lay his head against the big animal. The steady beat of Pete’s heart, the slow respiration, the familiar smell, and Pete’s unwavering loyalty were all a balm for Fili’s frazzled nerves.

After he had calmed down a bit, Fili stepped around and stroked Pete’s muzzle. Laying his head against the horse’s cheek, he told him, “We have a home of our own now. We won’t have to move again. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

Pete’s only response was to affectionately lip at Fili’s shirt. Fili pushed him away with a laugh. Still smiling, he left the corral and went to Kili’s cabin.

He knocked on the door, and Kili called for him to come in. Maybe he didn’t have his exuberance quite under control, because as soon as he got in the room, he flung himself at Kili, wrapping the brunet in a bear hug.

Laughing, Kili returned the hug, saying, “Not that I’m not glad to see you, but what’s this about?”

“We got the Greenleaf place!” Fili’s voice was muffled since he was talking into Kili’s neck.

“It went through?” Kili sounded breathy, since Fili was still squeezing him tight. When Fili nodded, Kili let out a whoop and picked him up. Ignoring Fili’s squeak of protest, Kili spun him in a circle before dropping him to his feet again. Leaning back to look at Fili’s face, Kili told him, “Congratulations! You’re a homeowner now!”

With wide eyes, Fili said, “I am, aren’t I? I have so much to do!” Running a hand through his hair, he started to feel overwhelmed again. Then he looked at Kili beaming at him, and said, “I can worry about that later. I have something more important to do first.”

“What can be more important than buying a house?” Kili asked, still smiling.

“This.” Fili wrapped an arm around Kili’s waist, caught his jaw in a gentle grip, and pulled him in for a kiss.

“Mm,” Kili murmured against his lips. “You’re right. That’s very important. We shouldn’t neglect such a thing.” He playfully flicked his tongue against Fili’s top lip.

Fili caught Kili’s bottom lip between his teeth, biting gently and tugging on it before he let go. “I can think of other things that shouldn’t be neglected, too.”

Kili kissed Fili and pulled back. Affecting an innocent look, he said, “Oh really? Like what?”

Running a hand between them to palm Kili’s hardening cock, Fili told him, “Like this.”

Closing his eyes and letting his head fall back, Kili agreed, “Yeah, I can see where it would be important to not let that be neglected.”

Softly biting the exposed throat, Fili told him, “I can think of a few more things too. Why don’t you let me show you?”

“Well, if you think you have time, being a new homeowner and everything,” Kili teased. He let out a yip when Fili bit his neck, mock growling. He backed away, grabbing Fili’s hand and leading him to the bedroom, pausing only long enough for both of them to pull their boots off.

Once they got into the bedroom, Fili stopped Kili from undressing. “Allow me,” he whispered, unbuttoning the brunet’s shirt. Every time new skin was exposed to his view, he took a moment to lick over it, slowly working his way down until Kili’s shirt was opened completely. He glanced up to see Kili watching him with hooded eyes, mouth open and panting. He pushed Kili’s shirt back off his shoulders, allowing it to fall unheeded to the floor. With a smile, he dropped to his knees in front of Kili.

Without breaking eye contact, Fili unbuckled Kili’s belt and unfastened his trousers. He took a moment to nose and then tongue at Kili’s bellybutton, earning a grin and a faint protest. He pulled Kili’s pants off, helping the brunet balance so he could step out of them to stand naked.

Fili bit his lip as he admired Kili’s erection, jutting proudly out in front of him. It felt like no matter how often he saw it, he always wanted to stop and just look on in awe, and wonder why Kili had picked him out of everyone he could have had. Right now he had other things in mind besides gawking in admiration, though.

Taking the base of Kili’s erection in hand, he started lightly licking the head, occasionally swirling his tongue around. Every few licks he’d suck the tip into his mouth using light pressure, and once he used his teeth, so lightly it almost felt like it was imagined. He kept the grip on Kili’s cock, and put one hand against the brunet’s hip when he tried to thrust forward. He stopped, and licked up the underside, along that thick vein, still just using light pressure.

Soon Kili was breathing hard, hands clenched into fists at his side, trembling with the effort to hold still and let Fili do as he wanted. The teasing got to be too much, and in a choked voice, he said, “Fili, please!”

Fili lapped at the head of his cock, licking away the slick gathering there and pulling away. He knew what a sinful sight he must make, a strand of slick reaching from Kili’s cockhead to his mouth, looking up at Kili. He licked his lips and saw Kili mirror the gesture.

Taking Kili’s hands and placing them on his head, he said, “I want you to fuck my mouth.”

Looking surprised, Kili said, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me, I swear. I want it.” When Kili hesitated, he lightly sucked the head of Kili’s cock. Still keeping eye contact, he wrapped his hands around to grab Kili’s ass, and pulled him forward while he pushed forward with his mouth. He didn’t stop until his nose was buried in the wiry curls, pressing against the bone. He closed his eyes and made a humming noise in his throat, and Kili gasped and bucked his hips forward.

Kili pulled back a little and asked in a strained voice, “Are you sure?”

Fili nodded, and tried to pull him forward again, wanting him farther in his mouth, down his throat.

“You’ll stop me if I hurt you.” There was no negotiation in Kili’s voice, no uncertainty.

Without pulling away, Fili just nodded. This time when he pulled Kili’s hips forward, the tall man complied with a groan.

Fili started out slowly, and Kili let him set the pace. He increased it until Kili’s hands were tangled tightly in his hair and his hips were thrusting forward to meet his mouth.

Kili’s hips were starting to stutter, and Fili could feel him beginning to tremble. The fists in Fili’s hair tightened, and Kili had begun to pant.

“Fee… fuck, Fee, if you don’t stop I’m going to come!” Kili’s hands were still twined tightly in his hair, making no effort to pull away.

Fili didn’t want to stop. He kept his hands on Kili’s hips and kept the rhythm until he felt the first spurt of salty heat against his tongue. Then he pulled back, but only enough to lay the head of Kili’s cock on his tongue and open his mouth, so Kili could see every drop that shot into Fili’s mouth and down his throat.

Wide eyed, Kili watched. When he was almost done, Fili wrapped his lips around the head of Kili’s cock, licking and swallowing, sucking, tonguing the slit, wrapping his hand around Kili’s length to milk every last drop out that he could.

Soon Kili pulled him away, protesting, “Too much!”

Fili sat back on his heels. Knowing Kili was still watching him, he made a show of licking his fingers for any stray droplets he might have missed, wiping his moustache and beard. He looked up and licked his lips, watching Kili mirror the gesture. Guiding Kili by the hips, he maneuvered him back until his legs hit the bed. The brunet sat down in a graceless sprawl.

“I feel guilty,” Kili confessed. “You haven’t even gotten undressed yet.”

Standing, Fili came over and gave Kili a deep kiss. “Don’t feel guilty. I enjoyed that very much.”

Flopping back into the bed, Kili patted the mattress beside him. “Well, why don’t you get undressed and get in bed with me. Give me a few minutes to recover, and I’ll see about returning the favor.”

Chuckling, Fili started to remove his clothes. “I’d rather feel you inside me, fucking me hard with me bent over on my hands and knees.”

“Give me time to recover and I’ll see what I can do,“ Kili told him with a tired chuckle. Holding out his arms, he waited until Fili had stripped naked, pulling him into an embrace.

They laid there silently for a moment catching their breath. Kili kept running his hands through Fili’s hair, helping them both relax a bit.

Fili could hear Kili’s heart under his cheek. He listened as it slowly returned to normal. His own was still galloping, but for a different reason. Cowboy up, he told himself.

“Hey Kili?” When he got a tired questioning hum, he forged ahead. “I love you.”

Kili’s hands froze on their path through his hair.

Loving someone meant leaving yourself vulnerable. Not only to rejection or scorn from the one you love. You were also vulnerable because you had a part of your heart walking around with the one you love. You had to trust that they would do what they could to try and take care of it, to cherish it like you cherish them. Fili hadn’t ever really been in love, so to admit this was terrifying. He waited for Kili to do something, say something.

Kili just want back to stroking his hair and said, “I love you too.”

He sat up, wanting to see Kili’s face. “You do?”

Smiling, Kili reassured him, “Yeah, I do. I have for a while now I guess.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Fili searched his face.

“Because I didn’t want to pressure you with it. Or scare you away, either.” He pressed a light kiss on Fili’s forehead and told him, “You aren’t always the best at dealing with other people. I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable here.”

He put his head back down and pulled Kili closer into a tight embrace. Listening to his lover’s breaths smooth out and deepen as he fell asleep, Fili couldn’t imagine how his life could ever get any better than this. He laid there for a long while listening to Kili breathe and counting his blessings. Eventually he dozed off with a smile on his face, happier than he had been in years.

 


	27. Walking The Floor Over You

Fili still couldn’t believe it. The paperwork had been signed and witnessed. The boundaries had been drawn up, and he and Thorin had ridden along the fence line to make sure the maps and surveys were accurate. Everything seemed to be in good order. So it looked like Fili was the proud, overwhelmed new owner of a ranch.

He had agreed to stay working at the Arkenstone until Thorin could find a suitable replacement to take over his job. He also agreed to finish training the pinto mare and buckskin gelding. Suddenly changing trainers could possibly set them back and erase any progress he had made with them so far. Since he would be using the Arkenstone’s forge anyway, it only made sense. He would still be staying at the cabin until he could get furnishings for his house, or until Thorin hired a new ranch hand, whichever came first.

That was another problem all together. He had never had to worry about equipping a home. He didn’t even know where to start. Maybe he could ask Bilbo. The thought made him feel ashamed, though. What would he say? “I’ve never really had a home so I don’t know what I might need, can you help me?” Still, who else could he ask? Certainly no one from town. Gossip spread like wildfire, and he didn’t relish the idea of everyone learning that he didn’t even know how to set up basic housekeeping. At least Bilbo wouldn’t ridicule him.

Before he could even think about all of that, he would have to earn some money. It was a good thing Thorin was letting him keep working, because right now he didn’t even have the money for food.

On the next day he had off, he would go and inspect the ranch house and buildings. He’d make a list of things that needed to be done such as repairs. He could make a list of things he needed to buy, too. If he was lucky, he might be able to barter for some of them, like the rent of the forge at the Arkenstone. And if not, well, he had roughed it and done without before. He could do it again. Maybe Bilbo would let him use the smokehouse if he was able to go on a successful hunt. That would help a lot and he could trade some of the meat in exchange for use of the smokehouse.

The bad thing about that is he had hoped to be able to talk Kili into spending some time out there with him. He couldn’t very well invite him to come over when there was no food, no wood for a fire, and not even a bed to sleep in. That wouldn’t exactly be a romantic night. Well, he’d do the best he could as soon as possible.

After dinner, Fili approached Bilbo and asked for help. Bilbo agreed immediately, and it was decided that they would meet out there next week, when everyone had the day off.

***

Fili was unable to sleep, so he left a note telling Kili he would be out at the new house. His new house. He had a hard time wrapping his mind around that.

The place was in good condition, but it could still stand to be dusted and swept out. It was shortly after sunrise when he heard someone in the yard. Stepping outside, he saw it was Thorin, Bilbo, and Kili. They had brought the wagon, but the contents were covered with a cloth so Fili couldn’t see what they were. He got shooed away by Bilbo when he tried to peek.

Bilbo and Kili went to inspect the house while Thorin and Fili looked over the barn and corrals. There wasn’t anything a few small repairs couldn’t fix. When he had the money, they could also stand a fresh coat of paint.

A hail from the yard brought everyone outside. This time it was Bofur driving one wagon, and Bombur and Bifur following in another wagon. Both wagons were piled high with an assortment of furniture and various other items.

Fili greeted them, asking, “What’s all this?”

“Just some spare stuff I had sitting around taking up room,” Bombur said. “I thought maybe you could use some of it.” He waved a hand and started directing Bofur and Bifur to unload the wagon.

A nice dining table and chairs had been taken into the house and set up by the time the next wagon arrived. This one had Lizzie, her mother, and a couple of other women. Fili greeted them and assisted them out of the wagon. He didn’t even bother trying to see what was in the back of their wagon. Instead he went in search of Bilbo.

Fili found him at the side of the house, directing Bifur and Bofur to set up picnic tables under the trees so they would be in the shade. Thorin and Bombur were carrying platters and dishes to the kitchen, or setting them out on the tables that had already been set up to Bilbo’s approval.

Keeping his voice low, Fili asked Bilbo, “What are you doing?”

“Setting up for the party, of course,” Bilbo was distracted and called out, “No, Thorin, don’t leave the cake there! It will melt in the sun!”

“Bilbo.” Fili waited until he had his attention, and then asked, “What party are you setting up for, exactly?”

“Your housewarming party. You didn’t really think you’d get away without having one, did you?” Bilbo gave Fili an amused look, and went back to directing everyone on how to set things up.

Fili saw another wagon pull into the yard, this one carrying Ori, Dwalin, and Balin. Not far behind them was yet another wagon. It looked like Bard’s family was in that one. He was starting to wonder if everyone in town was planning on showing up. He realized that if Bombur and Bard were here, that meant their businesses were closed. So yes, most of the town would probably make an appearance at some point.

Lizzie came running up to him, carefully carrying a length of cloth. Holding it up so he could see it, she told him, “My mama says every house needs curtains. She made these special for you. If you want, she’ll hang them up, because she says no man can hang a curtain straight.”

Making a show of looking at the curtain, Fili told her, “These are just lovely. I’d be honored to have them in the house. Did you help make them?”

With a sad sigh, the girl said, “No. My sewing isn’t straight enough yet.” A wide grin split her face when she told him, “I made a runner cloth for your table though! Mama only helped a little!”

“Well, I can’t wait to see it then,” Fili said with a smile. His smile vanished when he looked down the road and saw even more people coming. Some were on horseback, some were in wagons, and a couple seemed to be in buggies. He decided to start getting the horses and wagons out of the yard before it got too crowded.

Soon enough, it seemed like the whole town was there. It reminded him a little of that first dance he went to. Only this time, he was able to recognize faces, even if he didn’t always remember names. Everyone brought food that got set out on the picnic tables to snack on. Everyone also brought gifts for Fili and his new house. The gifts ranged from the practical, like a skillet and dutch oven from the blacksmith, to the decorative, like a dozen beautifully crocheted doilies from Gloin and his wife, all the way to whimsical, like the tea cozy Dori had made for the tea set he brought. Without fail, though, everyone said they were glad Fili had decided to settle down there, and did their best to make him feel welcome.

When he had a chance, he leaned against a tree and took a deep breath. He watched as people carried more food out to replenish the dishes on the tables, or hung curtains in the windows, or carried in more supplies that he thought he would have to save up to buy for the house. One woman was even planting some sort of flower under a window after claiming it would make the house smell sweet. And they were doing all of this for him.

Overcome, he had to step away for a minute. He headed to the paddock where Pete was, and just leaned against the railing. He was stroking Pete’s cheek when Ori found him. They stood in companionable silence for a while, just patting Pete. Eventually Ori asked, “Are you okay?”

Fili nodded, saying, “Yeah. This is all just a little astonishing, I guess. I think the entire town has shown up. And they are all bringing presents, and being so nice about everything.”

“You’re a part of the town now too, you know,” Ori reminded him. “That’s what people do. They want you to feel welcome, and make sure you can settle in and be comfortable. Also, they love any excuse for a party.”

Without looking away from Pete, Fili confessed, “I don’t know what to do. Everyone is bringing all this stuff, and all that food, and I wasn’t expecting any of this. What am I supposed to do?”

Gently bumping shoulders with Fili, Ori told him, “You go back to the party. You eat as much food as you can hold, because everyone is going to want you to sample the special dish they made just for you. You smile and nod and tell people thank you for all the lovely gifts. And you let them know that you will still be shoeing horses at Thorin’s ranch so they know where to find you.”

“But this is my house now. Aren’t I supposed to do some sort of, I don’t know, host thing?” Fili felt like he was in over his head with this.

“I think Bilbo has everything under control. All you have to do is be there.” Ori watched as Fili visibly pulled himself together.

Straightening his shoulders and holding his head up, Fili told Ori, “You’re right. Time to cowboy up.”

Grinning, Ori clapped him on the back and told him, “Cheer up! It’s a party, not a lynch mob.”

“I know. At least I’d have an excuse to run away from a lynch mob. I can’t avoid a party though, not when it’s happening in my own house.” With one more deep breath, he followed Ori back to the crowd, determined to at least pretend that he knew what he was doing.

Hours later, Fili was sprawled on the steps of his porch. He had done as Ori suggested, smiling, eating, drinking, and thanking everyone for the presents and support. He also had seven people planning to bring their horses out to be shod next week. His face hurt from smiling so much, and he was so full he thought he might explode if he had to move suddenly. Once he realized that no one had any huge expectations, he had been able to relax a little bit and enjoy the party more. Now that almost everyone was gone, he was exhausted.

Kili stood over him and nudged him with a toe. “Get up, lazybones. We have one more thing to carry into the house.”

Without opening his eyes, Fili said, “Nope. This is my porch, and I’ll lay on it if I want. Unless you are going to carry me into the house, I’ll stay right here.”

Kili bent over and said in a sultry tone, “Help us carry it in and I’ll make it worth your while.”

Opening his eyes to see Kili grinning down at him, Fili muttered, “Lead me not into temptation. I can find plenty of it just fine on my own.” Still, he held out a hand and let Kili help him to his feet.

The ‘one more thing’ turned out to be a large bed. It took Thorin, Dwalin, Kili and Fili to wrangle the thing into the bedroom. The frame wasn’t too bad, but by the time they got the mattress in place, with Ori and Bilbo trying to give helpful directions, they were all sweating and worn out.

They all wound up sitting on the porch, enjoying the breeze and passing a bottle of whiskey around. After it was empty, Thorin stood and announced that they would be heading home, and not to bother coming to work tomorrow since everyone else would probably be sleeping off the effects of the party too. Before he joined the others in the wagon, he passed Fili another bottle of whiskey and told him, “Welcome home, neighbor.”

Before Kili could walk away, Fili caught his hand, pulling him close and saying, “I was hoping you might consider staying the night.”

Wrapping his arms around Fili’s neck, Kili quipped, “Thank goodness you asked. I’d hate to have to ride home with these jokers.” Fili kissed Kili, but they dissolved into laughter at the catcalls and whistles from the other men as they drove away.

When silence fell, Fili said, “I want to check on Pete before we turn in. Come with me?”

Kili agreed, and Fili passed him the bottle of whiskey. Kili took a swallow and passed it back. They traded it back and forth, holding hands as they walked to the paddock.


	28. It Must Be Love

Pete was fine, of course. Fili fed him a carrot he had salvaged from the party while Kili watched. After making sure there was plenty of fresh water in the trough, Fili took Kili’s hand and they walked back to the house. Before they made it even halfway back, Fili let go of Kili and shot his hand out, grabbing something.

Carefully showing Kili the insect cupped in his hand, he told Kili, “Make a wish.”

Kili bent his head and whispered something to the lightning bug with a smile. When he straightened back up, Fili opened his hand and tossed the bug into the air, watching it fly away.

Pulling Fili close, Kili told him, “I have to admit, I cheated a little.”

“How so?” Fili asked, wrapping his arms around Kili’s waist.

“I wished for something that I think I might have gotten anyway.” Kili kissed Fili’s neck lightly.

Tilting his head, Fili asked, “What did you wish for?”

“Well, I can’t really tell you,” Kili lightly bit Fili’s earlobe, then whispered, “but if I recall, the other night you mentioned something about you on your hands and knees, allowing me to have my wicked way with you.”

Feigning ignorance, Fili said, “Hm, I don’t exactly remember that. You might have to do something to refresh my memory.”

“I can think of lots of things I can do to refresh your memory,” Kili told him, and gave him a passionate kiss. “And I plan on doing every single one of them,” he said before he caught Fili’s bottom lip in his teeth, biting and tugging lightly.

“You might have to work hard at it,” Fili teased. “I have a notoriously bad memory.”

“Then I better get started.” With a smile, Kili got a grip on Fili’s hair, wrapped an arm around his waist, and hooked a foot behind his legs, lowering him to the ground. He laughed at Fili’s look of surprise, and wriggled the blonde’s head. “If you can control the head, you can control the body.” He straddled Fili’s waist, kissing him again.

When Kili pulled back, Fili said, “Learning the rules, I see. What’s another?”

Kili started unbuttoning Fili’s shirt, telling him, “If there’s a job to be done, just do it.” He got the shirt unfastened, spreading it open to expose Fili’s chest, running his hands across the muscled chest, toying with Fili’s nipples.

“What other rules?” Fili was starting to sound a bit breathless.

With a laugh, Kili stopped what he was doing and told him, “Don’t get caught in the yard with your pants down.” He started to pull away.

Before he could get far, Fili caught his hand, pulling him close again. “Ah, but see, this is _my_ yard now. So if I say we can run around buck naked, then so be it. There’s no one to see us anyway, except Pete. And I’m pretty sure Pete doesn’t care.”

“Well, in that case,” Kili gave him a mischievous grin, and ran his tongue down Fili’s exposed chest until he reached the band of his trousers. Kili unbuckled the belt, and unfastened the trousers to reach in and free Fili’s erection.

When Kili licked a wet stripe up the underside of his cock, Fili sucked in a hissing breath and propped himself up on his elbows so he could watch. When his elbow hit the forgotten bottle of whiskey on the ground beside him, he let out a groan for an entirely different reason.

Noticing the change in tone, Kili sat back and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“I don’t have any oil or anything,” Fili told him.

Crawling back up Fili’s body, Kili straddled him again and dropped a kiss on his nose. “You obviously didn’t check the box with the bowls in it.” He ground down hard enough to make Fili gasp. “I made sure to pack some.”

“Then maybe we should move this to the house,” Fili suggested, pulling Kili down for a kiss.

“If you want to move to the house,” Kili whispered teasingly against his lips, “you have to let me go.”

Fili grumbled a bit, but allowed Kili to stand up and took the hand offered. They stopped on the porch to kiss, and take off their boots. Fili burst into laughter when he saw that someone had left a bootjack on the porch by the door. At Kili’s questioning look, he pointed to it and told him, “Maybe I won’t wind up flat on my back in the yard again.”

Kili gave him a heated look, and told him, “Maybe not because of your boots, anyway. I could think of a few other reasons you might wind up on your back in the yard.”

“Not tonight, though.” Fili pressed Kili up against the wall and nibbled on his neck.

Humming an agreement, Kili caught his jaw in one hand, holding him still long enough for a kiss. When they pulled apart, Kili told him, “Inside. Oil. Bed.”

Nodding, Fili opened the door and led Kili inside by the hand. He cursed as he barked his shin on what he thought might have been a chair. “Let’s find a lamp while we are at it.”

After a bit of fumbling around, bumping into things and each other, and a lot of laughing, they finally found a lamp and got it lit. After that it was only the work of a moment to find the correct box and fish out the oil. Kili held it up triumphantly.

Fili held out his hand, but instead of taking it and going with him to the bedroom, Kili pressed him back against the wall. Since his clothing was still mostly unfastened, Kili had him naked and hard again before he knew it.

“Let’s see, where was I before we got distracted?” Kili murmured into his ear. “Oh yeah.” He dropped to his knees and gave Fili a wicked smile.

Fili smiled back, but it became a gasp when Kili sucked his entire length into his mouth. He watched as Kili slid back, and ran the tip of his tongue around the head of Fili’s cock. Kili ran his hands up the back of Fili’s legs, causing him to break out in gooseflesh. Soon his thighs started trembling from the strain of not thrusting forward into Kili’s mouth.

“Stop,” Fili choked out, pulling Kili away from him. When Kili stood back up, Fili started helping him out of his clothes. They kissed as Fili pushed Kili backward, guiding him into a chair.

Kili tripped and sat down with an oof. Fili laughed, straddling him and giving him a kiss. While Kili struggled with the oil, Fili mouthed at his neck.

“You aren’t making this easy, you know,” Kili said, half amused and half frustrated. He couldn’t get the little bottle open.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Fili teased, completely unrepentant. He lightly bit the cords standing out on Kili’s neck. “Let me make it up to you.” He slid out of Kili lap, kneeling on the floor in front of him. He heard Kili gasp when he licked the head of his cock. When he blew a breath over the heated flesh, Kili squirmed. Glancing up to see Kili staring at him he teased and mouthed at the flesh, and bent his head to bite at Kili’s inner thigh.

Breaking out of his trance, Kili returned his attention to the oil bottle, letting loose a victorious “Ah ha!” once it opened. “Come here,” he beckoned, pulling Fili back up.

Fili waited long enough for Kili to slick himself with the oil, and straddled him again. Kili slouched down in the chair enough to make the angle easier.  With an indrawn breath, Fili sank down on him slowly. They had been having sex enough to make it possible without injury, but there was still a slight sting to the motion. Once Fili had seated himself all the way, he kissed Kili and waited for his body to adjust. It had quit hurting when he started to slowly rock his hips.

Bracing his hands against the chair back, Fili ground down, making both of them gasp. Kili’s palms pressed into the small of his back as he moved, urging him faster. When he canted his hips, the angle changed enough to hit that bundle of nerves inside him. He threw back his head with a cry, dimly aware that Kili was kissing the column of his throat. His motion increased in speed until he went rigid, muscles locked, and came across Kili’s stomach.

Kili grabbed Fili’s hips hard, bucking up against him. It only took about four thrusts before Kili followed him over the edge. Fili watched his face, feeling Kili pulse inside of him.

Still breathless, Kili hugged him close, asking “So now that you are a homeowner, does that mean we get to do it in every room?”

“Yep,” Fili said, dropping a kiss on his nose. “And the barn too.”

“Good. Just no more of these chairs, huh? I think my foot’s fallen asleep.” Kili slapped him on the thigh, encouraging him to move.

With a laugh, Fili slowly stood up. He winced when he realized that his legs were sore too. “Agreed, no more of those chairs. They aren’t the most comfortable for that.”

They grubbed around until they were able to find a tea towel and cleaned themselves off. Fili led the way to the bedroom, but they had to backtrack and look through boxes and gifts to see if there were any linens for the bed. They found a couple of blankets and a throw, and declared that good enough.

Spreading one blanket under them and one on top, they cuddled down into the soft mattress. Fili wound up with his head pillowed against Kili’s chest, complacently listening to the brunet’s heartbeat.

“You should get a pig,” Kili mused. “We could name it Lilly.”

“If I get a pig, it’s going to be named bacon, and ham, and pork chop.”

Kili slapped his shoulder lightly, making a tutting noise. “Why would you call a pig those things?

“Because that’s its destiny?”

“You could have one for a pet. It would eat your leftovers.”

“I am not having a pet pig. I could get a dog like normal folks.”

“You could teach it tricks. You’re good with animals.”

“Good night, Kili.” Fili rolled over.

“You could teach a pig to ride Pete!” Kili spooned against Fili, kissing his shoulder.

“Pigs don’t ride horses.” Fili caught Kili’s hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss before holding it against his chest. “Now get some sleep.”

“Well, you need a pet something. The ranch feels empty.” Kili burrowed closer against him, pressing his forehead to Fili’s back.

Fili had to admit he was right. The ranch did seem empty now that everyone had gone home, taking their horses and families with them. He thought it would take some getting used to, especially when Kili left to go home too.

He had never lived alone. First he was with his family, then later he was always around other cowhands. The only times he had been alone was when he was moving from job to job, or town to town. Staying in one place, being alone, not having a boss and working for himself… all this was going to take some time to get used to.

Listening to Kili’s breathing even out, he started to doze off himself. Maybe he could see about getting a dog. No pet pigs, though.


	29. I'm Not Strong Enough To Say No

A few days later, Fili went into town to order supplies. He had eaten all of the leftovers from the party, and Bilbo kept inviting him to stay for dinner after work. He couldn’t eat with them every day, however. It wouldn’t be right, since he was no longer working for room and board there. He figured he’d order his supplies, stop and see if Dori had his shirts ready, and then eat over at Bombur’s tavern.

One thing Fili hadn’t counted on when he bought the ranch was how quiet it would be. The only other living thing out there was Pete. Hopefully that would change once he got everything in order. He could get some livestock, maybe another horse and some cows. He also planned to get some chickens to keep the bugs away. He just hadn’t had time to tend to anything yet.

The first day after the party was spent putting things away and trying to figure out what else he might need. Kili stayed and helped, and between the two of them they got the big stuff squared away. Every day since had been busy with farrier work, then working on the horses trying to get them used to a saddle, then going back home to try and organize things better. Add in caring for Pete and trying to work with him, going over the ranch to see where repairs might be needed, and trying to take care of the gardens and buildings, and he hardly had time to do anything else. Last night he had fallen into bed without dinner because he was too tired to have to try and find something to eat in the barren pantry.

Still tired, he was staring blankly at something on a shelf waiting for Bard to finish with another customer. When the tall man finally greeted him, he was startled out of his daze. He ordered a few things to be picked up when they came in, and got some stuff to take home with him now. Bard said a letter had come for him and passed it over. A glance at the handwriting told him it was another letter from Legolas so he stuck it in his vest to read later. He chatted with Bard while his order was gathered, then paid up and took his items out to tuck into the saddlebags Pete was wearing.

A quick visit with Dori and he was told his shirts would be ready in a couple of days. He stayed to talk for a few minutes then took his leave when his stomach rumbled. He had skipped lunch that day, trying to get caught up on work.

Dinner was a hurried affair. He sat at the bar, and was friendly to anyone who approached him, but he wanted to try and get home before he lost the light. He was hoping to be able to work on the garden a little, and he couldn’t tell the difference between a weed and a vegetable in the dark. It was hard enough in the daylight.

He had almost made it back to Pete when Lizzie came running up. Without preamble, she grabbed Fili’s arm and blurted, “You’re strong! Come with me!” She started tugging him down the walkway.

Fili resisted. “I was just about to leave, Lizzie. What do you need?”

“Mrs. Woolley needs help and I’m not strong enough. Please come help her?” she whined, batting her eyes.

He couldn’t remember who Mrs. Woolley was offhand, but Fili’s mind conjured images of a woman helpless and hurt. “Show me where.”

Lizzie took off, still holding Fili’s arm. He followed her rapidly, hoping it wasn’t anything too serious. Maybe they should get the doctor too? He decided to wait and see.

The little girl led him to one of the small houses in town. She ran right inside, but Fili followed a bit more cautiously. He called, “Mrs. Woolley?”

A voice answered, “In the kitchen!”

He followed Lizzie and was relieved to see an elderly woman sitting at the table, apparently uninjured.

“”I’m sorry to barge in. Lizzie told me you need help and I thought you might be hurt.” He sent a mildly reproving glance at the little blonde.

Lizzie was unrepentant. “I said she needed someone strong. That’s you.”

“I couldn’t get the pantry door open,” Mrs. Woolley apologized. “I didn’t expect her to make it sound like an emergency.” She shot a look at Lizzie too, but the child just grinned.

“Well, let me look at it.” Fili went and got it open, but could see why it was sticking so badly. One of the hinges had come loose and was causing the door to scrape on the floor and wedge against the frame. “Lizzie, find me a hammer so I can fix it.”

“You don’t have to do that, Fili,” Mrs. Woolley protested. Fili just waved it off.

Mrs. Woolley directed Lizzie to the tools, and she brought them over. He managed to straighten the hinge and get the door straight. A few test swings, and it seemed fine. He looked around, and saw a few other things that needed attention. Mainly it was the type of thing you would expect in a home of an elderly widow unable to do heavy repairs. He hammered out a ding in the stove’s chimney and used a bit of grease on the door leading to the garden to try and get rid of the squeak. Lizzie watched, and Mrs. Woolley kept up a steam of commentary. There were some repairs he couldn’t make without parts, so he made a mental list to bring a few things next time he was in town.

Mrs. Woolley was thrilled. She was opening and closing the kitchen door when a cat ran in, followed by three kittens. She cooed and cuddled all of them and asked Fili if he would like a cup of tea.

He had already lost most of the daylight and she seemed lonely, so Fili decided to stay. After a long talk and a few cups of tea, Fili finally took his leave. When he left, he had an invitation to stop by and have dinner next time he was in town, a promise that Mrs. Woolley would send word if she needed anything repaired urgently, half a pound cake, several sandwiches, and a small marmalade kitten.

Fili stuck everything but the kitten into the saddlebags. Unsure of the best way to get it home, he wound up dropping it into his shirt. He mounted Pete, careful not to crush the tiny cat, and headed home. They weren’t even out of town before the kitten was curled against his stomach, asleep and purring.

Once they got home, he went straight to the barn. Taking the kitten out of his shirt, he sat it down, telling it, “Welcome home, cat.”

It followed him out and watched as he unsaddled and rubbed down Pete. Curious, Pete leaned down and sniffed the kitten. The kitten showed no fear, sniffing Pete right back. Greetings over and curiosity satisfied, Pete went back to munching on hay while the kitten began to explore.

Fili finished grooming Pete, and grabbed his things from the saddlebags to take into the house. The kitten ran after him. He stopped and pointed at it. “You are a barn cat. That means you stay in the barn and run off the mice. Shoo.”

The kitten ignored him, trailing after him to the house. When he took his boots off on the porch, he told it, “Don’t look at me like that. Go be fierce and scare away the vermin.” He sighed when the kitten batted at one of his braids when he bent over to grab his boots.

When he went inside, he shut the door so the kitten couldn’t follow. He hoped it would find the way back to the barn and Pete. As he started putting his things away, he heard a plaintive meow from the door. He peeked out a window and sure enough, the kitten was on the porch. It was sitting there in front of the door, looking pitiful.

“No, cat. Go to the barn. Go on now, git.” The only response was another sad meow.

Trying to ignore the kitten, Fili dug out the letter from Legolas. In it, he said he was glad Fili had the ranch now, and that he hoped it made him happy. He teased, saying that if he ever came back to visit, he’d know where to find Fili. It sounded like he was having a good time where he was, though.

All this time, the kitten had been meowing on the porch, sounding like its little heart was broken. Fili started worrying. After all, the kitten was so small. What if an owl tried to carry it off? Or a coyote could come along and eat it. With a sigh, he opened the door and let the kitten inside.

“Don’t get used to this,” he warned the cat. “It’s only for tonight, until you are used to being out here. Then I expect you to earn your keep and chase away the vermin.”

The kitten twined around Fili’s ankles once, then went to explore the new home.

Fili got ready for bed, and then realized he hadn’t fed his new kitten. He shared one of Mrs. Woolley’s sandwiches with it. While it was eating, he headed to the bedroom and crawled into bed. He was covering up and getting comfortable when the kitten joined him in the bedroom. It wasn’t big enough to be able to jump on to the bed without a little help.

“Oh no. You are already getting to stay in the house. I’m not sharing my bed with an orange cat. You’ll shed everywhere. Go lay down somewhere.” He glared at it from over the side of the bed. It wasn’t even really orange. The color of its fur was so dark it was almost red. “We need to find a name for you, don’t we?”

The kitten meowed pitifully a couple of more times. Finally Fili told it, “Fine! You win. Besides, I bet you miss your mama and litter mates. You are probably lonely. This is a one-time deal, though. It won’t happen again. Got it?” He scooped the kitten from the floor, allowing it to join him in bed.

After crawling all over and inspecting the bed, the kitten decided it wanted to sleep against the back of Fili’s head. Fili didn’t mind. It was warm and soft. Besides, the purring was soothing. If having the kitten there made him feel a little less lonely and made the bed feel a little less empty, no one else had to know.  


	30. No One Else On Earth

“Okay, big guy, we’ve practiced at this. We did this yesterday. Now it’s time for you to show me what you know,” Fili kept his voice low and soothing, trying to keep the big buckskin gelding calm.

For that matter, he was trying to keep himself calm too. He’d been up before dawn, trying to get some things done around the ranch before coming to the Arkenstone to start his farrier work. He was able to get all the horses shod, and checked the horses on the ranch too. He skipped lunch to work with the gelding. He had hoped to be able to get back home and work on his garden before it got too late. He also wanted to try and spend a little time with Kili if he could ever get caught up on his chores.

Yesterday, he had been able to saddle and mount the gelding with no problem. The horse hadn’t liked it, and was skittish, but had tolerated it for the brief amount of time Fili had stayed in the saddle. Today the horse was being recalcitrant and had a look in his eye that Fili knew meant trouble.

As soon as he put a foot in the stirrup, the gelding started to sidestep and spin. Fili dropped back to the ground and the horse swung his head around, trying to bite him. He dodged it easily and gave the horse’s muzzle a light tap. “None of that, now. It’s not polite to bite.”

He spent a few minutes rubbing the horse’s neck, hoping to get it to relax and cooperate. It wasn’t working. The gelding kept sidestepping, trying to press Fili against the corral fence, and tried to kick him a couple of times.  

Deciding to start from the beginning, Fili took all the tack off of the gelding except the bridle. He looked the horse over thoroughly, making sure there were no injuries or spots rubbed raw by the saddle that could account for the horse’s behavior. The horse appeared to be fine. He checked each piece of gear before he put it back on the horse in case there was a burr caught on the saddle blanket, or maybe a jagged bit poking out from the saddle. All the tack was in perfect condition.

“You’re just being ornery today,” Fili told the horse. In response the horse jerked his head up, trying to make Fili lose his grip on the bridle. Fili clucked his tongue loudly and held on. “Nope, enough of that.”

“Are you arguing with that horse?” Ori called, walking up to lean against the corral fence.

Without looking away from the gelding, Fili answered, “Yep. The trouble is that he hasn’t quite realized that I’m the boss and I’ll win.”

“How are you going to make him know you’re the boss?”

“I know you’ve heard of bronc busting. Open the gate to the pasture for me and I’ll show you.” Still keeping one eye on the horse, Fili waited for Ori to get the gate open. “I need you to stay out of the pasture. This fella’s in a mood today, and he and I are going to work it out.”

Fili waited for Ori to get out of the way and to safety, and then led the gelding out to the pasture. A small part of his mind registered that the others must have finished lunch because they were all gathering to watch. He briefly wished they wouldn’t, but as long as they stayed out of the way it didn’t matter.

He returned his full attention to the gelding. He started with some basic things that the horse already knew. With a quiet “Walk,” he started leading the horse. Instead of walking slightly behind him and to the side, the horse tried to push him to the side and get in front.

“Stop.” Again the horse crowded him. Fili grabbed the bridle and repeated the routine until the horse was walking and stopping properly on command.

Fili grabbed the reins and stood beside the horse. The horse took a few steps to the side, but Fili just rubbed his flank, waiting for him to calm down a bit.

“Here’s the deal, big guy,” Fili told the horse quietly. “I’m about to get in that saddle. You are not going to like it, and I bet you aren’t going to cooperate. But it will happen, so you go on and do what you think you need to do. Ready?”

The horse’s ears had been swiveling so Fili knew it was listening. When he grabbed the saddle horn, those ears laid flat back. He found himself smiling. It might be crazy, but he missed this: the battle of wills, the adrenaline rush, and the uncertainty about who would win this round. When it was over, he’d either be laid out in the dirt, or still in the saddle. It was this thrill that made him love to ride bulls in rodeos, more than any money or prize he might win. Nothing could compare to this. Even though it was only a horse he was breaking to the saddle, it was still exciting.

He had completely forgotten about the others watching. He heard Kili call his name, but he couldn’t let that distract him now. He waved a hand, motioning for them to stay back out of the pasture. He didn’t know exactly how the buckskin was going to react, but he didn’t want someone getting trampled. A quick glace showed that they were all on the other side of the fence, and that was good enough.

“Okay, fella, here we go.” In one swift motion Fili stuck his boot in the stirrup, swung his other leg up and over, and was sitting in the saddle before the gelding had time to do more than prance nervously. He wrapped the reins around one hand so he wouldn’t lose his grip, held on tightly with his legs, and waited to see what the horse would do.

The gelding started to spin before he realized that wouldn’t work since Fili was already securely seated. He threw his head down and bucked once, but Fili pulled the reins up sharply so the horse couldn’t do it again. Instead, the horse threw his head up and reared. Fili shifted his weight in the stirrups and held on. When the gelding had all four hooves back on the ground, he bolted. He went from a stop into a full gallop. Fili gave him his head and let him run.

They didn’t get very far before the gelding slid to a halt and tried to buck again. Fili held on and reined him back in. The horse finally realized that these tactics were not going to get rid of the annoying human on his back. In a fit of pique, he dropped down and sideways, intending to roll over on Fili and crush him.

As soon as the horse started to go down, Fili flung himself out of the saddle. Keeping the reins in his hand, he dodged flailing hooves and ran around to the horse’s head. When the horse finished his roll and got back to his feet, Fili jumped back into the saddle. The gelding gave a few small bunny hops, but he was tiring and his heart wasn’t in it. Finally he stilled, standing there unmoving.

Fili stayed in the saddle for a few more minutes, not asking anything of the horse, only proving a point. When he felt the tension leave and the horse relax, he dismounted. He gave the horse a reassuring pat on the neck and led it over to where the men were standing by the fence.

Fili was still breathing hard, but couldn’t keep the grin off his face when he told Thorin, “Once he’s trained, this is going to be a good horse. He’s smart and fast.”

“Are you insane?” Kili barked out. The gelding startled at that, and Fili had to grab the bridle to keep him from rearing. “What were you thinking? That was stupid! You could have been killed!”

The lack of sleep and not eating properly were already wearing on Fili. Trying to work with this stubborn horse wasn’t helping. Being scolded like a child by the man he loved was the last straw. Keeping his voice calm, he told Kili, “This is what I do. I shoe horses, I train them, and I occasionally ride in rodeos. I’ve been a cow hand all my life, and I am damn good at it. I’m sorry if that’s not good enough for you but that’s what I am. And I’m sorry that you don’t trust me enough to do my job.” With that he turned away, leading the gelding back to the paddock.

He heard Thorin say something to Kili, but didn’t turn around. He walked the gelding around long enough to cool it off, then currycombed it down before turning it loose in the paddock. Fili clucked at it, calling it back and giving it a sugar cube from his pocket. The horse eagerly ate it, all hard feelings about being ridden forgotten.

Fili was saddling Pete when Ori came up. Fili was happy to see that Ori walked right up and started petting Pete with no fear at all.

“You know Kili was just worried. It scared him when the horse rolled,” Ori told him. In a quiet voice he added, “It scared me too.”

Fili finished tightening the girth, and then laid a hand on Ori’s shoulder. “This is what I was hired for, Ori. It’s my job. I’m good at it. I know what I am doing, okay?”

Ori nodded but didn’t look at Fili.

“Come on, Pete.” Fili walked to the main house, Ori and Pete trailing behind him. He signaled Pete to stay, and went up and knocked on the door.

Thorin opened it with a look of mild surprise. “Why are you knocking?”

There were several answers Fili could have given. He knocked to remind himself that this wasn’t his home. This wasn’t his family or his place. That he might own a ranch, and be doing farrier work, but he was really just a dressed up saddle tramp. He didn’t know what he was doing, and didn’t even know if he’d make it through the winter.

Before he could say anything, Bilbo popped his head out the door. “You’re staying for supper, right?”

“Sorry, Bilbo, but no thank you. I need to take care of some things around the house before it gets too late.”

Bilbo frowned and vanished back into the house. Thorin asked, “Are you sure?”

Fili nodded. “I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be coming by tomorrow. The buckskin is going to need to rest after all that today, and I don’t have anyone scheduled to bring any horses to be shod. It will give me a chance to work around my own place.”

“You know Kili snapped at you because he was worried.”

“So I hear.” Fili sighed, “I am doing what you hired me to do, Thorin. Are you firing me?”

Thorin looked affronted. “Of course not!”

“Then maybe everyone should just let me do my job. I can start taking the horses farther from the house so no one has to watch, if that will make it easier.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. What if something went wrong and you got hurt? We’d never find you.”

“You know, I somehow managed to live my life before I ever came here without needing a keeper.”

“And you showed up here half dead, so maybe that wasn’t working out all that great.”

Fili and Thorin glared at each other in silence until Bilbo stepped out of the house. Rolling his eyes, he thrust a basket at Fili. “Take this.”

Without reaching for the basket, Fili asked him, “What is it?”

Bilbo stepped closer and shoved the basket against Fili’s chest with surprising force for such a small man. “It’s dinner. And don’t start. You skipped lunch, and probably didn’t eat breakfast either. Take it.” When Fili didn’t grab it, he huffed and shoved it into his chest again. This time Fili grabbed it before he wound up getting a bruise.

“Thank you.” Fili couldn’t help but smile when Bilbo just waved him away and headed back into the house, muttering under his breath.

“You’ll come back day after tomorrow then?” Thorin asked. When Fili nodded, he added, “If you need help with anything, just send word. We’d be more than happy to help.”

Not trusting his voice, Fili just nodded and waved farewell. He mounted up and waved to Ori. Kili was nowhere to be seen. He thought that right now, that might be for the best. It would give them both time to cool off.

When he got home and was unsaddling Pete, his kitten came bounding up to greet them. After wrapping around Fili’s ankles a few times, and touching noses with Pete, it sat down to watch for a few minutes. Something caught its eye though, and it went running off.

Fili took the basket and went into the house. He stopped and stood in the middle of the main room, frowning. The house seemed too large right now, too quiet. He was starting to wonder if this was all a mistake.

Unable to handle the silence tonight, he grabbed a blanket and went back to the barn. He spread the blanket over a pile of loose hay, and started pulling things out of the basket Bilbo had given him. Pete got a cookie when he stuck his head over the side of his stall. The kitten got a slice of ham. Fili was starving, and had eaten almost half of the massive amount of food before he was satisfied.

He knew he should get up and weed his garden, or repair the loose railing on the side of the paddock, or do any of the multitude of chores that needed tending. Right now he was full and content, though. Listening to the familiar sound of Pete munching hay and petting the sleepy kitten by his hip was soothing.

“We still need to figure out your name, cat,” he murmured. The kitten didn’t seem too concerned, so Fili decided he wouldn’t worry about it right now either. He lay back, putting one hand behind his head as a pillow, still petting the tiny cat. He was mentally going over the ranch and making a list of what he needed to do first when he fell asleep in the nest of hay.

 


	31. The Simple Things

It seemed like kittens were better than roosters when it came to waking people up. At least Fili guessed so, since he had never been woken up by a rooster climbing all over him. The kitten was walking up and down his chest. When it saw that Fili was awake, it settled down on his stomach and purred.

“You could have laid there without waking me up, you know,” Fili pointed out with a yawn. He was still in the barn wrapped in the blanket. Instead of a quick nap, he had slept through the night. At least it was early, the sun just beginning to rise. Maybe he could get some things done around the house.

Pushing the kitten off of his stomach, he sat up. He pulled a piece of fried chicken from the basket Bilbo sent home and gave it to the kitten. He was amused to see the tiny cat gnawing on it, since it was almost the size of the kitten.

“Don’t get used to it, cat. You are supposed to be here catching mice. Work for your dinner.” The kitten ignored him.

Fili got up and fed Pete his breakfast, then rummaged around in the basket for something to eat for himself. As usual, Bilbo had packed an abundance of food. He had a makeshift breakfast of biscuits, ham, and some of the strawberry jam. After eating, he took the remaining food and the blanket back to the house.

It struck him again how big and empty the house felt. It was a house made for a family, or at least a few ranch hands. He wondered if this was a mistake. What was he going to do with this big house by himself? It was his now though, so he was going to try and make the best of it.

He went out back and worked in the garden for a while, pulling weeds and tending to the vegetables that were growing. Thranduil’s cook had planted a variety of things earlier in the year, and it looked like he’d have a nice crop. He sat back on his heels and sighed when he realized it didn’t matter. He didn’t know how to can vegetables, so he wouldn’t be able to keep them all.

Maybe he could offer to share some of them with Mrs. Woolley in town if she would teach him how to can. He vaguely remembered his mother boiling glass jars, but that was about it. He’d ask her next time he was in town. Either way, he’d take her some of the tomatoes that were ripening.

After finally finishing weeding the garden, Fili fixed the loose railing on the corral. He greased the hinges on the gates. Straightening up, he looked around. There were a few minor repairs and upkeep left to do, but nothing that couldn’t wait. It wasn’t even lunchtime yet.

He grabbed a rifle and his handguns, packed a lunch, and saddled Pete. He decided to ride the fence around his property to see if it needed any repairs. Pete needed the exercise, and he needed to relax. Sticking a few tools in his saddlebags for minor jobs, he set off.

He was in no hurry, so he kept Pete to an ambling walk. The fence seemed to be in good shape, so after a while he kept one eye on it, while he was also looking around. He still found it hard to believe that he owned all this. He had always thought of owning his own ranch someday. Now that he had it, he had no idea what to do with it. He didn’t have the money to buy a herd of cattle or hire people to take care of them. He thought of something his father used to say about some of their neighbors being ‘land rich but dirt poor.’ Now he understood what that meant.

Shaking his head, he decided not to worry about it right now. It was a beautiful day, he was on his own ranch, Pete was in fine shape, and the fence didn’t need any repairs. Tomorrow he’d go back to work, and hopefully that buckskin gelding would be over his snit. For that matter, hopefully Kili would be over his snit too. He grinned at himself when he realized how often he compared Kili to a horse. His grin widened because the comparisons were often a little too apt.

Enough worrying, and enough working. He hadn’t done anything just for fun in a while. He turned Pete, heading towards the trees in the middle of the pasture. One they got there, he dismounted and led Pete to the pond he and Thorin had found when they were inspecting the property.

Under the shelter of the trees, Fili unsaddled Pete, stripping the horse of all his tack. He propped the saddle against the trunk of a tree, and gave Pete a pat, telling him, “Go find some lunch.”

Pete seemed more inclined to relax for a bit in the shade, leaning his weight on one side and lazily blinking at Fili. Fili smiled and gave him another pat. He knew that even if Pete wandered off, he could whistle and the horse would come back.

Fili stripped off his boots and clothes, piling them on top of the saddle. He made sure his guns were secure and out of the dirt. Once his things were where they would stay reasonably clean, he minced his way across the grass to the pond. The water was cool, soothing to his feet after being in the boots. He stood there for a minute, not worrying about his nudity. He was in the middle of his own property. If anyone happened to get an eyeful, then they were trespassing and it was their own fault.

Wading deeper, he wondered if there were any fish in the pond. He didn’t see any, but the water was churned up a bit from his passage. Once he was deep enough, he leaned back, letting himself float. He closed his eyes, enjoying the weightlessness and sun on his face. It was nice to be able to relax and quit worrying about everything for a while.

He sat up, slicking his hair back from his face. He glanced over, seeing that Pete had decided to graze a bit after all. The horse was staying under the shelter of the trees, though, and not going too far.

Fili dove under the water, swimming out to the middle of the pond. He wanted to see how deep it was. He popped up, took a deep breath, and dove straight down. However deep the pond was, he didn’t reach the bottom before he had to come back up for air.

He splashed around in the water, floating and swimming until his stomach growled. He realized he had been out there for a couple of hours. He looked down at himself with chagrin. He wasn’t feeling it yet, but he’d be willing to bet that he’d get sunburn on areas of his body that were normally not exposed to much sun. He snorted at the idea of being pink all over, amused at the image.

After rinsing his hair out one last time, he swam back to the edge where he left his gear under the trees. He dug around in the saddlebags until he found the sandwich he had packed. He didn’t want to sit in the dirt naked, but he was reluctant to put his clothes back on while he was still so wet. He ended up standing while he ate. After he was a bit drier, he dressed and whistled for Pete. After getting him saddled again, they headed home.

Fili got Pete into his corral and combed him off. After giving him a snack, Fili headed to the house. He was surprised to see Kili sitting on the porch, petting the kitten that was in his lap.

“Hi. How did you get here?” Fili hadn’t seen a horse.

“I walked. I think I caught a trespasser,” Kili said, pointing at the kitten.

“Yeah, that’s the new barn cat.” Fili bent down and gave the kitten a pat. The kitten cracked its eyes, obviously unimpressed.

“Barn cat?” Kili gave him a disbelieving look.

Fili told him, “I didn’t say it was a good one.” When Kili smiled up at him, he asked, “Want to come in?”

Kili nodded and set the kitten on the porch. When Fili opened the door, the kitten walked in ahead of both of them. Kili pursed his lips and said, “Yeah. Barn cat.”

“It’s still a little confused.” Fili draped his saddlebags over a chair. Now that Kili was here and inside, he suddenly felt awkward. He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the tangles.

“Your hair is wet,” Kili observed.

“Yeah. I was checking the fence and decided to go swimming. There’s a pond towards the middle of the back pasture.” Fili stared at his boots and fidgeted. “Do you want some tea?”

Kili sighed and caught his hand. Stepping closer, he bent his head, trying to look at Fili’s face. “I’m sorry for yelling at you yesterday.”

Twisting his hand so they could intertwine fingers, Fili told him, “That’s my job. I know what I’m doing.” It came out sounding more sullen than he intended, and he softened his voice to add, “I just need you to have faith that I can do it.”

Kili’s grip on his hand tightened as he said, “I worry that you’ll get hurt.”

He wanted to reassure Kili and say he wouldn’t get hurt, but that was an outright lie. He’d been hurt before and would be hurt again. He thought pointing that out would be flat out stupid. Fili settled for saying, “There’s no point in worrying about it.”

“Well, I do. Will you promise me you will at least be careful?”

Frowning, Fili told him, “I’m always careful.”

Kili stood there in silence, staring at him.

“Well, I always try, at least.” Fili shuffled his feet, unable to bear much of the silent stare before he muttered, “You remind me of a school teacher. I promise I’ll try to be more careful.”

“If that’s the best I can get, then I’ll take it.” Kili stepped forward, catching him in a bone crushing hug.

Fili hugged him back, content to stand there for a while. He finally drew back when he felt a small weight on his foot. He looked down to see the kitten sitting on his boot, staring up at them. He bent down and scooped it up, holding it in one arm and hugging Kili with the other.

“What’s its name?” Kili asked.

“We haven’t settled on a name yet.”

“Is it a boy or a girl?”

Sheepish, Fili shrugged. He hadn’t ever checked. He hoisted the kitten over his head, looking up to see. “A boy, I think.”

Laughing, Kili asked, “What do you mean you think?”

“Well, it’s small! I think there’s something there though,” Fili lifted the kitten a little higher so Kili could look too.

Kili peered up, agreeing, “Yeah, I think it’s a boy too.”

The kitten started to flail its legs, indignant about such treatment. Fili cuddled it close to his chest again, but the kitten climbed his shirt and settled on his shoulder. It pressed up against his neck purring.

Nodding, Kili told him, “Yeah, I can see that’s a vicious barn cat. A regular man eater.”

“He’s still in training.” Fili smiled at Kili.

When Kili smiled back, everything was alright again.

Fili asked him, “Do you want to stay for supper?” When Kili nodded, he headed towards the kitchen, the kitten still perched on his shoulder. “I don’t know what we’re having yet.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Kili followed behind him.


	32. Blue Moon of Kentucky

They ended up having the rest of the leftovers from Bilbo’s basket, along with some fried green tomatoes Fili got from his garden. Fili looked up from his plate to see Kili slip a morsel of ham to the kitten.

“Don’t feed it from the table! It already thinks it belongs in the house,” Fili scolded.

“That’s cause he’s a smart boy. Aren’t you such a smart boy?” Kili cooed at the kitten.

While Fili had been cooking, Kili had apparently bonded with the kitten. The kitten, for his part, seemed to take such adoration as his rightful due.

Gently poking the kitten with the toe of his boot, Fili told it, “Shoo. You can have something later.”

“Don’t do that! You’ll make him afraid of feet!” Kili gave Fili a hurt look.

Watching the kitten wind around his ankle, Fili said, “Oh yeah. He’s obviously terrified.”

“You need to name him.” After watching the kitten for a second, Kili’s face lit up. “Name him Ham!”

Fili wondered if he had briefly lost his mind. “I’m not naming a cat Ham.”

“Why not? You were going to name a pig Ham,” Kili reminded him.

“That’s because pigs are ham. Cats are not ham,” Fili said. Looking down at the cat in question, he said, “You’re not ham. You eat ham.” He slipped the cat a bite to prove his point, completely ignoring the fact he had just been scolding Kili for doing the same thing.

“But he likes ham. And he’s almost the color of ham when it’s smoked. We should call him Ham.”

“We can’t call him Ham. He’d never know if we were going to feed him or eat him.”

“Little Ham knows we’d never eat him, don’t you sweetie?” Kili was making a ridiculous face as he baby talked to the kitten. When the kitten strolled over to him, he stuck his tongue out at Fili. “See? He likes the name Ham!”

“You are forbidden from naming anything else on this farm. Ever.”

“That’s fine. Ham loves it. Don’t you, Little Hammy?”

Something else caught the kitten’s attention. Deciding no more food was forthcoming immediately, it trotted off to investigate.

Fili shook his head as he watched it go. It seemed like he better get used to the idea of having a house cat named Ham. He told himself that the cat could keep vermin out of the house as easily as out of the barn. Maybe he should get another cat for the barn. No, that wouldn’t work. He’d wind up with two house cats. He might as well move Pete into the house while he was at it. He watched Kili try to coax the cat back over to him. The cat wasn’t having any of it.

He didn’t want to ruin Kili’s good mood, but he still needed to talk about work. He said, “I’ll be going back to work tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I figured you would,” Kili said, eating the morsel he had been using to try and tempt the kitten.

“I’m going to work with that gelding again. Do you want me to take it away from the house so you don’t have to watch?” Regardless of what Thorin said, if Kili was uncomfortable he’d move the training to another pasture.

“No!” Kili scowled at him and said, “What if something went wrong? I’d feel better if you were within shouting range, at least.”

Fili had to smile at how much Kili looked like Thorin when he made that face. “Okay. I didn’t want it to upset you, that’s all.”

Kili reached across the table, taking Fili’s hand. “I know it’s your job. And I know you’re good at it. I know you can probably do it in your sleep. But I still worry. Nothing you do is going to change that. I’d worry even more if you did it where no one was around to help if you get hurt, though. So keep everything like it is, and point it out to me if I start yelling again.”

“I can do that.” Fili ran his thumb over Kili’s knuckles and asked, “Do you want to stay the night?”

With a blinding smile, Kili answered, “I thought you’d never ask.”

After cleaning up from dinner, they sat on the front porch steps, playing with the kitten and watching the sunset in companionable silence. Watching Ham pounce on a bug made Fili think of his garden.

“Do you know how to can vegetables?” he asked.

“I’ve seen Bilbo do it. I could give it a try.” Kili didn’t look very confident, though.

“I was going to ask Mrs. Woolley in town if she could teach me.”

Kili made a noncommittal noise, and then pulled Fili over to him. Fili wound up lying on his back on the porch with his head in Kili’s lap. Ham came to investigate the situation and decided to curl up on Fili’s stomach. Kili took turns playing with Fili’s hair and petting Ham.

“I think I’m jealous of your cat,” Kili whispered, bending down to kiss Fili’s nose.

“Aw, don’t be jealous. Give me a while and I am sure I can think of an appropriate food name for you too. Okay dumpling?” He grinned when Kili flicked his ear. “No? How about pumpkin? Sweetie pie? Oh, I know! Sugar britches!”

Fili jumped and let out an undignified squawk when Kili started to tickle him. Ham leaped off and sat a safe distance away on the porch steps, watching with disdain while Fili turned and tackled Kili. They wrestled on the porch, laughing and tickling each other until they were breathless. Finally Fili was able to pin Kili down, straddling him.

Looking down into Kili’s smiling face, he couldn’t resist kissing him. Kili responded enthusiastically. Kili gasped when Fili rolled his hips, grinding down.  

“Take me to bed,” Kili demanded.

“Thought you’d never ask,” Fili smiled down, earning himself a light slap on the rump.

Fili stood, helping Kili to his feet. After another leisurely kiss, they took off their boots. Fili took Kili’s hand, leading him inside.

Actually making it to the bed took much longer than normal. They stopped just inside the front door so Fili could help Kili take off his shirt in between kisses and caresses. Halfway down the hall, Kili pressed Fili up against the wall and returned the favor, helping him out of his shirt while nibbling on that spot that he knew Fili enjoyed. Once they managed to make it to the bedroom, Kili shucked the rest of his clothing in record time, and then lay back on the bed.

Fili had started unfastening his trousers, but froze, completely forgetting what he was doing as he watched Kili trail his long dexterous fingers across his chest, playing with his own nipples. When those hands followed the trail of dark hair down Kili’s stomach, all Fili could do was watch, wide eyed, as those hands separated to slide down the inside of Kili’s thighs. Fili’s mouth fell open and he started to pant, since it suddenly seemed hard to breathe.

With a faint smile, Kili never looked away from Fili’s face as he ran his hands over his own body. With one hand he slowly stroked his already hard cock. He beckoned to Fili with his other hand, murmuring, “I want you to touch me.”

Stripping off the rest of his clothing in record time, Fili joined Kili on the bed. He leaned over, giving his lover a gentle kiss, when there was a sudden weight on the bed. When he looked up, he saw that Ham had joined them, since he had forgotten to shut the bedroom door.

“Oh, no, little guy. Not right now. It’s grown up time in the bedroom.” Fili scooped the kitten up and gently sat it down outside of the room, closing the door. There was a plaintive meow, but he ignored it.

Turning back to Kili, he said with a lascivious smile, “Where were we? Oh yeah…”

He crawled back on the bed, adjusting his position until he was on all fours, hands and knees splayed to either side of Kili. After a leisurely kiss, he ran his lips across Kili’s jaw to his ear, enjoying the feel of stubble scratching lightly against his skin.

“I want to taste you,” Fili whispered into Kili’s ear, smiling when he felt the other man shiver. He mouthed down Kili’s neck, delighting in the salty sweet taste, smiling when Kili tilted his head to allow him better access.

Agonizingly slowly, he worked his way down, worshipping the skin he found with his mouth, taking his time while kissing, licking and nibbling. When he found a nipple, he laved the hard nub with his tongue until Kili was arching under him.

Moving further downwards still, Fili took his time playing with the trail of hair, nuzzling the muscles of Kili’s stomach, pausing to dip his tongue into the shallow cup of Kili’s belly button. He worked his way down further still, listening to Kili’s breathing come quicker.

Fili stopped to hover just above Kili’s cock, listening to the hitch in Kili’s breath from anticipation. He blew a puff of air and watched the hard length in front of him twitch. He looked up to see Kili watching him from hooded eyes. He bent his head and at the last second, turned to lick a wet stripe across Kili’s hip.

“Fili, _please,”_ Kili groaned, unable to keep his hips from bucking up.

And oh how Fili loved that tone of desperation in Kili’s voice, so he licked the other side, starting on the outside of Kili’s hip, trailing his tongue closer to where Kili obviously wants it. He stopped about an inch away and sucked the skin there up into his mouth, nibbling lightly but still hard enough to leave a small bruise. He smiled when Kili whined.

“Is something the matter?” Fili teased. He didn’t pull away and he knew that Kili could feel his breath ghosting across his cock. “You said touch you. I’m touching you.”

The glare Kili gave him was ruined by the needy tone in his voice. “I want you, please!”

“Oh, you mean like this?” Fili slid Kili’s cock into his mouth and was rewarded with a moan. After sliding his mouth back off excruciatingly slow, he moved until he was straddling Kili again. He gripped both of their erections in his hand, rubbing them together, watching Kili throw back his head as he was lost in the sensation. “Or did you mean like this?”

“God, Fili, you tease!” Kili rutted up into Fili’s hand, gasping when Fili tightened his grip.

“I have a better idea.” Fili reached over to his nightstand, grabbing the oil kept there. Pouring some into his hand, first he applied it to himself, and then used his hand to slick up Kili’s cock. He moved until he could position Kili at his entrance, and slowly sank down. He had to stop for a moment when Kili first breached him to allow his body to adjust.

“Are you okay?” Kili asked, running a hand up Fili’s thigh.

“Give me a second,” Fili said, trying to keep the strain out of his voice.

“Maybe I can help a little.” Kili wrapped a hand around Fili’s cock, which had started to soften.

With the distraction from the sting, Fili lowered himself until he bottomed out. Kili groaned when he started to move. When Kili dragged across the sensitive gland inside him, Fili bucked his hips and gasped. Fili leaned back, bracing his hands on Kili’s thighs, rocking faster and chasing his own pleasure. Kili stroked Fili’s cock in time with his movements, using his other hand on Fili’s hip to encourage him.

Fili’s hips started to stutter, and with a last hard slam down, he came across Kili’s stomach and chest with a loud cry. Kili grabbed his hips with both hands, and thrust up four, five, six more times before he followed Fili over the edge with a cry of his own.

They both sat there panting for a minute before Fili rolled off of Kili with a groan. Reaching over to the floor, he found a shirt that they used to clean themselves off with. With some adjustment, they wound up on their sides, Kili spooning against Fili’s back.

Once they caught their breath, Kili said, “That was nice,” and dropped a kiss on Fili’s shoulder.

“Nice? _Nice?”_ Fili said with mock affront. “I would expect at least amazing. Spectacular would be more like it. Nice is what you call the weird dessert that your crazy aunt insists on bringing to meals even though no one ever eats it. _Nice.”_ He snorted and grumbled under his breath.

Kili snuggled closer and kissed the back of Fili’s neck. “Amazing. Spectacular. Stupendous. Wonderful, incredible, unbelievable and mind blowing. Do I need to go on, or will that sufficiently soothe your ego?” He laughed when Fili elbowed him. Tone turning serious, he said, “It was wonderful and I love you.”

“I love you too,” Fili murmured, already starting to doze.

Kili’s breathing evened out, warm on the back of his neck. He pulled the arm around his waist up until he could cuddle it against his chest. Fili was happy and comfortable.

At least he was until he heard a pitiful small meow. Raising his head, he looked at the closed door. A small paw was poking under it, waving around. He tried to ignore it, but another sad meow had him sighing and getting out of bed.

“Where are you going?” Kili mumbled.

“The kitten wants in.” Fili padded naked over and cracked open the door. Ham wasted no time in entering the room.

“What happened to barn cat?” Kili sounded like he was already half asleep.

“He’s just a baby. He can stay with us until he gets a little bigger.” Fili scooped Ham up and dropped him on the foot of the bed.

Ham froze upon seeing Kili. Looking personally offended, the kitten gingerly walked to Fili’s side of the bed and curled up on the edge of the pillow.

“What’s his problem?” Kili asked.

“I think you are on his pillow.” Fili crawled back into bed, pressing his back against Kili. Kili wrapped his arm back around Fili’s waist, and Ham curled up against Fili’s chest.

“That cat’s going to have to get his own pillow. I’m not giving up my place in bed,” Kili said against the back of Fili’s neck.

“I think he might be saying the same thing about you.” Fili tucked Kili’s hand closer to his chest, and rested his hand on Ham. With the soothing sounds of Kili’s breathing and Ham purring, Fili was asleep in no time at all.


	33. The Race Is On

The little pinto mare had been broken to the saddle, and would make a good horse for a less experienced rider, with her smooth gait and easy disposition. Fili told Thorin that she would be ready to be sold within a few weeks.

The buckskin gelding was another story. He would tolerate someone in a saddle on him now, but wasn’t happy about being kept to a sedate stroll. The horse was too spirited and independent to ever make a good pleasure ride. He was also fast and smart, so after some discussion with Thorin, Fili decided to check and see if he might make a good cutting horse.

Fili was planning to take the gelding out to one of the pastures to see how it would react to the cattle. The horse was full of energy and was too restless to settle down and concentrate yet, so Fili decided to let him run it out. They went out to the lane leading to town. As they passed the house, Fili noticed that Kili, Dwalin, and Thorin were talking on the front porch.

Keeping the gelding to a walk, Fili kept a close eye on it. He noticed that the horse was alert and aware of its surroundings, ears flicking at noises and nostrils flaring to scent for anything unusual. Something small rustled in the grass to one side of the road, but the horse didn’t shy away.

Aside from trying to grab a mouthful of grass, the horse kept its head high and was in good form. Fili murmured encouragements and with a pat on the neck, he urged it into a trot, and then a canter. He paid close attention to the horse, making sure his gait didn’t falter, or show signs of strain. The horse was able to keep the pace without a problem.

Fili slowed, and then stopped the gelding. He hopped off and checked each one of the horse’s legs and hooves. Everything looked fine, and the horse was still full of energy and barely breathing hard. Fili slipped it a sugar cube from his pocket and mounted again.

“What do you say we work some of that off, big guy?” Fili asked, patting the horse on the neck. He kneed the horse into a walk, then leaned down and told it, “Get it.”

Fili had been training the horses with voice commands, so the gelding sped into a canter. That wasn’t what Fili wanted, however. He used the pressure from his knees and lightly slapped the side of the horse’s neck with the loose end of the reins, saying, “Git!”

The gelding put on a burst of speed, breaking into a no-holds-barred gallop. They came racing back down the lane towards the house, kicking up a trail of dust behind them. Fili was smiling, thinking that when the gelding settled down and actually got to work, it was every bit as fast as Pete was. Running speed wasn’t all that a cutting horse would need, though. It also needed fast reaction times, and the proper attitude.

They had made it almost back to the end of the lane, and Fili wanted enough room in case the horse couldn’t react as quickly as Fili hoped. Fili relaxed back into the saddle, almost in a slump. He gave the reins a light tug and shouted, “Whoa!”

The horse went from a full speed gallop to a dead stop almost instantly. Momentum tried to carry the gelding forward, but it dropped its hindquarters down until it was almost crouching, coming to a sliding stop in a cloud of dust. Fili hopped down and offered another sugar cube to the gelding.

“Well, he’s got the reflexes,” Fili called to the men on the porch. “I’m taking him out to the pasture to see how he does around the cattle.”

Dwalin and Thorin nodded, but Kili called, “Wait up and I’ll go with you.”

After a short discussion, Thorin and Dwalin decided to ride out with them too. Fili bit his tongue since his first reaction was to point out that he didn’t need an escort to do his job. He knew he was being oversensitive. Instead he suggested Kili take the pinto mare so she could get some exercise. He just hoped the gelding didn’t act up so he didn’t have to listen to Kili and the others fret.

Once everyone got mounted up, they headed to the pasture. The others chatted as they went, but Fili was keeping a close eye on the gelding. The horse was still spirited, and he wanted to see how it did around the other horses. He knew it got along with the pinto mare already, but he was pleased to see it didn’t react to the other horses aside from the occasional flick of an ear.

When they found the herd of cows, Fili asked the other men to stay back. He wanted the horse’s undivided attention, and he needed to be able to react to the horse without distractions himself. He didn’t expect anything to go wrong, but he wanted them out of the way just in case.  

Horses tended to act one of three ways around cows. Most of them were indifferent, willing to mingle with the cattle and not caring about being around them. Some horses were afraid. Fili had trained a horse one time that had panicked when it got into the same corral with a cow. He hoped nothing like that happened now, considering that horse had nearly crushed him when it tried to jump out of the corral.

As he rode closer to the herd, Fili was gratified to see the gelding was acting like the third type, however. The horse had lowered its head, keeping an eye on the cows, ears flicking back to Fili then around to the cows again. Fili could feel the tension in the horse, waiting for a command. He urged the horse to circle around the cows.

The cows had noticed the men now, and were edging closer to each other. They weren’t nervous yet, but they were keeping a curious eye on the men.

Fili got to the other side of the small herd and saw a cow, a young heifer that was a bit apart from the rest of the herd. Perfect for what he wanted to try. He guided the gelding between the heifer and the rest of the herd, and waited to see how it would react.

The gelding’s ears went back and it lowered its head. Everything about its body language was telling the cow that it was the boss. It was tense and ready to dominate the cow. Fili relaxed into the saddle, watching the cow carefully.

The cow had grown nervous and decided it wanted to go back to the herd. It broke into a trot, trying to skirt around Fili and the gelding.

With a light tug on the reins and pressure from his knees, Fili kept the gelding between the heifer and the herd. The cow stopped and stared at them for a second, then tried to edge around the other way. With guidance from Fili, the horse cut it off. After another brief pause, the cow feinted left and broke into a run to the right. The gelding had started to realize what Fili wanted and was able to block it again.

They kept at it for a couple of minutes. The cow would try to get around them, and the gelding was able to stop it with guidance from Fili’s body language and occasional spoken word. The gelding’s attention never wavered and it responded beautifully. Finally Fili stopped the horse and watched as the cow skittered past until it was safe in the herd once more. Fili gave the gelding a pat and guided it back around to where the men were waiting.

“He could make a good cutter,” Fili called when he got closer. He could feel the lift in the horse’s step, and it was still watching the cows. “He thinks it’s a game right now, though. He’d be happy to keep at it a while, but I don’t want to tire him too much.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to train it?” Dwalin asked.

“Yeah. He has the reflexes and a good instinct. He’ll settle down some once he realizes it’s a job and not a game,” Fili said. The gelding tossed its head and Fili rubbed its neck soothingly. “He’s still going to be a little high strung, though. There’s no changing that.”

They turned and started back. The gelding was still restless, picking up its pace until it was almost trotting. Fili kept reining it back, but he was picking up some of the tension from the horse. He shot a glance at Kili. The mare was stable enough, but she could use a little more exercise too.

“Race back?” Fili asked.

Kili looked at him and smiled, and kicked the mare into a gallop without replying.

“Cheater!” Fili called as he urged the gelding on. He let the gelding run until they had caught up. The gelding, with its longer stride and eagerness, could have easily passed the mare but Fili reined him back.

The gelding wasn’t happy about having to follow the mare, but it obeyed Fili’s unspoken commands. The two horses came barreling across the pasture. Fili started to slow the gelding when they got closer to the fence. The mare kept galloping on, however.

“Kili?” Fili called. He didn’t think the mare had taken the bit and run wild. She was keeping too straight a path for that. That path was headed straight for the fence. He saw Kili throw a glance over his shoulder and laugh.

Fili’s heart stopped when he realized Kili was going to try and jump the mare over the fence. The mare that none of them had jumped before.

With a curse, Fili kicked the gelding again, urging it to full speed. They caught up quickly. Kili was trying to urge the mare faster, but she was at her limit.

“Kili, stop!” Fili shouted. When Kili only frowned at him, Fili crashed the gelding into the mare’s side, knocking her off course. He snatched the reins from Kili’s hand, reining both horses hard to the side and slowing them. When he managed to get them both to stop, the mare was panting.

“What the hell, Fili?” Kili was indignant.

Fili was seething. He reached down and grabbed Kili’s leg, using it to flip him out of the saddle. Kili landed on his back in the dust with a grunt. Fili hopped down, keeping a grip on the reins of both horses.

“What were you thinking?” Fili ground out, his teeth clenched.

“I was going to jump the fence!” Kili stood up and got nose to nose with Fili.

“Are you insane?”

“I’ve done it before!”

“Not on an untested horse!” Fili shouted. When the gelding shied, he took a deep breath and modulated his tone. “You’ve never jumped the fence on this horse. Look at her, Kili. She’s blown. She wouldn’t have made it.”

Kili’s eyes flicked past him. The mare was standing with her head down, still breathing heavily, hide glossy in patches from sweat. Kili’s expression instantly turned contrite.

“I’m sorry,” Kili started, but Fili cut him off.

“It probably would have killed both of you at that speed. The thing I did to stop you was dangerous too. There was a good chance all four of us might have been injured.” Fili was keeping his voice even, because if he let go of his restraint he would start shouting again. He couldn’t keep the deadly undertone out of his voice though. The gelding shifted nervously.

Thorin and Dwalin came riding up. Fili saw them exchange a worried glance, but right now he was too furious to care.

“You can call me reckless for the stunt I pulled, but before you do, know that when I do something like that, I recognize all the risks and I know my odds. I don’t deliberately put myself and others into danger for a lark. Every time you’ve called me foolish or careless I’ve known exactly what I was doing, and I knew the costs if I failed.” Fili turned and mounted the gelding again.

“Fili, I’m sorry,” Kili tried again.

To Thorin, Fili said, “I’m going to cool the horses down.” He turned the gelding, kicking it into a trot, and leading the mare behind him. He heard Kili call his name again, but he didn’t turn around. He rode back out into the pasture.

 


	34. Chattahoochee

Fili rode out, not paying attention to where he was going. He wanted away from Kili’s apologizing, and Dwalin and Thorin’s stifling concerned looks. It didn’t matter what direction he went, as long as it was away.

The gelding was picking up on his tension. When the mare tossed her head, the gelding shied and spun in place. Fili slid off the gelding and started walking, leading the horses behind him. He could use some cooling off too.

He forced his jaw to unclench, taking a deep breath. He was still fuming. Thinking about Kili trying to jump the little mare over the fence made his stomach spin and swoop. She never would have made the jump. It was insane to even think about doing it. He had no idea what Kili had been thinking.

Kili didn’t belong out here. He should be in some city back east, where his impulsiveness wouldn’t get him killed. For that matter, no one on the Arkenstone belonged out here. You had to keep your guard up or you would wind up getting hurt. Fili had never seen such a soft group of greenhorns. They seemed to trust everyone and take things at face value. Look at how they had taken him in. He could have been a murderer for all they knew.

He was going to become soft too if he wasn’t careful. Living on a ranch, dealing with townsfolk every day, and being around everyone at the Arkenstone all the time was going to lull him to complacency.

Would that really be so bad, though? Being able to relax, not having to look over his shoulder constantly, and letting people in, would all of it be bad? Being able to stay in one place and have a home had been a dream for so long. Now he was doing it and a part of him regretted it.

Fili missed being able to pull up and leave when he felt like it. Missed seeing new places and meeting new people, going where the wind took him. For a second the longing to get Pete and leave was so strong it took his breath away. He still could. Pack his saddlebags with what he could carry, tie a bedroll on the back of his saddle, and simply walk away. Maybe go west and see Legolas. Try his luck at mining.

With a flash of guilt he thought of Ham. He couldn’t abandon the kitten to fend for itself. And he thought of Ori, who was excited about the idea of helping birth and train a foal of his own. Mrs. Woolley, Lizzie, Bofur, all the people he had come to know and care for flashed through his mind.

And Kili? Could he walk away from Kili? Maybe if he had to, but that isn’t what he wanted. He loved Kili. Even when he was trying to do some harebrained stunt.

He didn’t want to leave, not really. He just wanted a break from all the responsibilities and expectations everyone seemed to have for him. It felt like he hadn’t had a chance to relax and have a little time to himself in forever. Even when he was at home, he was always working on something.

Fili saw that he had walked to the creek that ran around one edge of the pasture. He rubbed the mare’s chest to see if she had cooled off enough. She had, so he led the horses to the creek and let them get a drink. He didn’t let go of the reins though. They weren’t trained enough to come when he whistled. The last thing he wanted to do was have to chase the horses all over the pasture if they wandered off.

After they had drunk their fill, Fili walked upstream enough to find clear water. He got a drink and washed his face. He mounted the gelding and turned him towards the ranch. He needed to get the horses back so he could groom them before he went home. Hopefully everyone would be busy elsewhere by the time he got there. He didn’t want to have to deal with anyone.

He didn’t know what he was going to say to Kili. Maybe he should apologize? No, because he is in the right on this. He might apologize for his tone, but he had been right to stop Kili from trying to jump the fence.

Thinking of it brought a painful twist to his stomach. It hurt to remember all the times Kili had told him he was careless or reckless. All the times Kili told him he needed to be more careful or fussed over a bruise, and then he did something like this.

It might look like recklessness, but every time Fili did something he knew his odds and the consequences of his behavior. He knew what price he might have to pay if something went wrong. He knew what would have happened if he hadn’t jumped on the bull when it was charging Ori. They could have all died, Ori, Pete, himself, even the bull, but he knew that if he hadn’t done anything Ori certainly would have been crushed. A chance of death was better than a certainty. He had known what he was doing, even if it had looked irresponsible.

He had been working with livestock all his life. Even when he was a child he would help his father around the ranch. He knew how to gauge animals and knew enough about them to predict how they might react in a given situation. When he had ridden the gelding into the mare, he knew that the gelding might have reacted badly, but the mare would have been calm. It was a pleasant surprise when the gelding hadn’t lashed out. If something had happened, though, he was confident in his ability to handle it.

Brought out of his musings by the sight of the barn, Fili decided he would talk to Kili, but not until he had more time to calm down. He didn’t want it to turn into a shouting match, and he was still angry enough for that to be a possibility.

He took the horses to their paddock and tied them to the post by the gate. Both of them needed to be groomed before he released them. The gelding was still fidgety from Fili’s bad mood and all the excitement, so he groomed it first. Once he was done he turned it loose and then turned to the mare.

He carefully inspected the mare’s legs and hooves, making sure she was uninjured. He’d been riding her almost daily, letting her get used to carrying the weight of a human, but he was still concerned she had overtaxed herself. She appeared unharmed, so he started combing her out. He wasn’t even halfway done when he noticed Ori walking his way. He sighed, but refused to hurry the job to try and avoid him.

Ori may have gotten over the worst of his fears about horses, but he was still cautious. He stopped a short distance away before detouring to the fence. He climbed up and perched on the top rail, watching Fili.

“Kili seemed upset when he got back today. Did something happen?” Ori asked.

“Not really.” Fili didn’t mean to sound short, but he didn’t want to discuss it.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Ori.”

“You know that you and Kili are my friends. I just want you to be happy.”

Ori sounded forlorn. Fili stopped combing the mare to take his hat off. He brushed his hair back with his forearm, wanting nothing more than to take a cool swim, get a drink, and be left alone. He wouldn’t get any of it standing around. He put his hat back on and went back to combing the mare.

“Are you hungry?” Ori scooted closer and hooked his legs through the rails.

“I’ll eat something at home.” Fili glanced at the sky. Clouds were beginning to gather on the horizon. He didn’t think it would rain tonight, but tomorrow might be stormy.

He finished with the mare while Ori watched silently. At first on edge, Fili slowly relaxed when Ori didn’t press him to talk. By the time he finished combing the mare and making sure they had fresh water, Fili was soothed by the silent support. He gathered up the saddles while Ori carried the rest of the tack into the barn.

After the gear was cleaned and put away, Fili got Pete from his corral and saddled him. Ori took the opportunity to stroke Pete’s muzzle.

“Can I ask you a question?” When Ori nodded, Fili continued, “What are you doing out here?”

“I came to see if you were okay.” Ori gave him a quizzical look.

“No, I mean out here at the ranch. Why are you here instead of some city back east, working in an office or something?”

“I guess I don’t fit in here very much, do I?” Ori gave Fili a lopsided smile. “Still, all my family is here. Dwalin too. I’d be all alone if I went somewhere else. I know I’m afraid of almost everything, and I’m practically useless, but I’d still rather be here than anywhere else.”

“I didn’t mean you’re no good here,” Fili tried to reassure him. “I was just wondering why anyone is here at all. They don’t seem like typical ranchers.”

“You’d have to ask the others why they’re here,” Ori shrugged. “Why are you here?”

“Sometimes I wonder that myself. Would you tell Thorin I won’t be coming tomorrow?” Ori nodded and Fili ignored the concerned look shot his way. He clapped Ori on the back and murmured his thanks before mounting Pete and heading home.

It was a relief to be back on Pete. He and the horse were attuned to each other, and one of them wouldn’t get skittish if the other was having a bad day. He gave Pete an appreciative pat on the neck, resolving to spend some time working with him.

Ham came out to greet them when they approached the barn. Fili got Pete unsaddled, and put the tack away. When he came back out, he saw that Ham was making himself at home in the corral. While he was currying Pete, the horse kept lowering his head and lipping at Ham. The kitten seemed to be enjoying the attention.

“It’s not bad enough that you’re spoiled,” Fili told Pete, “but do you have to spoil the cat too?”

Horse and cat both ignored him to continue what they were doing. With a grin, Fili finished combing Pete and gave him a pat on the shoulder. He put the currycomb away and fed Pete. After making sure there was fresh water available, Fili went to the house to find something for his own supper. Ham followed behind after seeing that Pete was too busy eating to pay him any more attention.

He wasn’t very hungry and didn’t feel like trying to cook. Instead he picked a few tomatoes and cucumbers from his garden, sliced them up with an onion, and poured a little vinegar on them and called it good for supper. Ham got a couple of slices of bacon that had been leftover from breakfast.

“You know, you are supposed to be catching your own dinner,” Fili pointed out to the kitten. He thought that until Ham grew some more, it might be a toss-up as to who would win if it came to a fight between a rat and the kitten.

After he finished his dinner, and watched Ham gnaw on his for a while, he rinsed out his bowl. He grabbed a bucket and a bar of soap so he could clean up at the water pump outside. Drawing a bath seemed like too much effort at the moment. He stripped off and left his clothes on the porch rail so he wouldn’t have to worry about them getting muddy.

The water was chilly straight from the well, but it felt good. He’d been hot and sweaty all day. He took the time to unbraid his hair and wash it out too. When a wide-eyed Ham edged closer to try and see what was going on, Fili flicked water at him and laughed when the kitten looked offended. He filled the bucket and took it back to the porch with him so he could rinse the dirt off of his feet. He didn’t bother drying off with a towel. He sat on a chair on the porch, watching the sun set and letting the heat dry him off.

His thoughts turned back to Kili and the Arkenstone. Maybe he was being cowardly by not going back tomorrow. When his chest tightened at the thought, he knew that taking a day to calm down was the right choice. He didn’t want to argue with Kili, and he’d be useless around the horses when he was still this upset. He would need to be calm for both situations.

He couldn’t stop the wry grin from spreading across his face when he thought that at least the mare had proven to be a hard worker with a calm temperament. He’d tell Thorin to sell her as a mount for a lady or a child. The gelding would start training for cutting when he went back.

And what was he going to do about Kili? First, he’d explain that it was a bad idea to teach a pleasure horse that it can jump over a fence. If Kili really wanted to ride, maybe he could teach him along with the gelding. It couldn’t hurt to ask, and it would give Kili an outlet for his energy too.

Fili still wasn’t sure what to say about their argument. This was out of his area of expertise. In the past, if he had gotten in a spat with a lover, he would just walk away. Away from the lover, away from the situation, sometimes away from the entire job. There was always someone else hiring down the road. That way he didn’t have to deal with all this difficult emotional crap. He had another moment of wishing he could do that now, but knew it would pass. He was here to stay now, and he owned a ranch of his own. He’d try to make the best of it.

He smiled as he watched Ham pat at a puddle with one paw, and then lick the paw clean. Yes, this was home. He’d find a way to make it work.

Calling Ham, he gathered up his clothes and went back inside, careful not to trip as the kitten darted between his legs. Tomorrow he’d spend some time working on the ranch and going to town to get supplies. Tonight he was going to relax with a book and a kitten curled up beside him. He was most definitely not going to worry about other people’s expectations, any of his responsibilities, or trying to make his way through the emotional quicksand of a relationship.

 


	35. Down On The Farm

After Fili fed Pete and Ham, and ate his own breakfast, he decided to go to town. He saddled Pete and picked a few things from his garden. After he stuck them in his saddlebags, he mounted up. Ham watched from the porch as Fili rode by and told the kitten, “Guard the house, Ham. You’re in charge until I get back.”

The first place he went was to Mrs. Woolley’s house. He gave her the tomatoes and cucumbers he had brought and she insisted he come in for a cup of coffee. While he was there he did a couple of repairs and she promised to teach him how to can vegetables. She made a list of things he would need. When he left, she sent him off with a pound cake and a batch of cookies.

After storing his treats in the saddlebags, Fili went to the store. He talked with the other customers while he waited his turn. When he confessed that Mrs. Woolley was going to show him how to can, he immediately had three women looking over his list and offering suggestions. A conversation about the best recipe for bread and butter pickles was beginning to grow heated when Bard finally got to him. He passed over his list and placed an order for a few other things he needed, and collected a letter from Legolas. The women were still bickering when he left the store.

He had spent more time in town than he had intended, so he decided to eat lunch at Bombur’s tavern before going home. He led Pete around to the side of the building and dropped the reins. After telling the horse to stay put, he went in.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust. Once they did, he greeted the people he knew while he got a drink and ordered his food. Dori was having lunch with Nori, and they insisted he join them at their table.

As he was chatting with them, he couldn’t help but compare them and Ori. He would never have guessed they were related. They didn’t seem to have much in common besides their names. Shy, bookish Ori always seemed so earnest. Nori was boisterous with a permanent half smile and a mischievous glint in his eye, quick to laugh or anger. Dori was more serious, but more sincere and friendly.

Fili gave Bifur a nod of thanks when his lunch was delivered. He ate and listened as Dori and Nori exchanged friendly jibes.

Tiring of the teasing, Nori turned to Fili and asked, “Are you going to the rodeo?”

“What rodeo?” Fili hadn’t heard of it, but then again he hadn’t been spending much time around ranch hands lately. Almost all of his customers had been local townsfolk.

“He won’t be going,” Dori interjected. “He’s a businessman now.”

“Oh please. It isn’t like farriers are lined up here. He could pick it back up when he got back,” Nori said.

Fili saw Dori frown and tried to cut off the argument before it got started. “What rodeo?”

“It’s about thirty miles east. They have it every year. And it’s a real rodeo, not the small stuff Thranduil did. Men come from all over to compete,” Nori told him.

Fili dimly remembered something like it being mentioned by men he had worked with before. He had never been in the area at the right time to participate, though.

“What events do they have?”

Nori started listing them. “Sharp shooting, bronc and bull riding, calf roping, team roping, cutting, and racing. They also usually do some shows and agility stuff too. Your Pete would do well with that, wouldn’t he?”

Fili nodded absently, his mind churning. “When is it?”

“In two weeks.”

“Will you be going?”

Nori nodded. “I usually leave two days ahead of time.”

Thirty miles in two days would be easy for Pete. He could pack light and Pete would still be fresh enough to compete in any of the events.

“He has a ranch now, Nori,” Dori said.

“And it’ll be there when he gets back.”

With a flash of regret, Fili said, “I have a kitten. It’s too little for me to leave it alone.”

“Dori could take care of it for you until you get back. Right, Dori?” Nori nudged him and Dori reluctantly nodded.

Two days there, a day for the rodeo, and two days back. He’d be gone for a week at the most. His garden might suffer a bit from lack of attention, but everything else should be fine for a week.

“What about Bofur?” Fili asked.

“He and I have an understanding. What about Kili?” Nori said.

“Kili doesn’t understand anything.” Fili clenched his jaw.

Nori gave him a sympathetic glance. “Maybe a few days apart would do you some good.”

Fili shrugged. “I’ll let you know.”

They both bid him farewell and went back to work. After he had finished his drink and settled his bill, Fili collected Pete and headed home.

He thought about the rodeo. He couldn’t do team roping without a partner, and he wasn’t a good enough shot to compete. He didn’t like bronc busting. He could do everything else, though. He wouldn’t want Pete to compete in three events in one day. Depending on the prizes, they could do the roping and cutting or the race. That wouldn’t overtax either one of them, and they could still participate in the shows. And of course he could do the bull riding himself.

“What do you think, Pete? Want to get out of town for a few days?” He gave Pete’s neck a pat and watched the horse’s ears swivel. He knew Pete would be up for whatever was asked of him.

He couldn’t deny that getting away sounded good. He felt like he was being smothered by everyone and everything. A kernel of resentment lodged in his chest. Yes, he had wanted a ranch of his own, a place to settle where he could be safe, but he didn’t expect to have it for years. Instead he had almost fallen into this life that he didn’t know if he was ready to live.

He had changed, too. Most of it was willingly, trying to better himself so the Arkenstone, and Kili, would not be shamed by him. He had tried to fit in the businessman mold the locals held so he would be accepted. And the one man he wanted to accept him the most called him reckless, heaped scorn upon him, and did something more foolhardy than Fili had ever done.

Noticing his jaw was clenched, Fili tried to relax. He was getting himself worked up over trifles. Was he doing it so he’d have an excuse to leave and go to the rodeo? Talk himself into it so he would leave in a fit of anger? Maybe a little. He thought he was allowed to be a little upset because he had changed, done what he could to be here with Kili, and Kili didn’t seem to appreciate any of it.

He shook his head, dismissing the thoughts as he entered his yard and rode around the house. He’d think about the rodeo and decide if he was going to it or not. If he was, he’d send word to Nori and they could ride together.

After getting Pete unsaddled, Fili glanced at the sky. A storm had been brewing on the horizon all day, but probably wouldn’t hit for another few hours at least. There was a lot he could probably work on around the house.

Yes, but there was something he could do that he hadn’t done in a while.

“Come on, Pete.” Fili went to the porch, Pete following faithfully behind. He tossed his hat on a chair. Ham watched, not moving from his perch on the porch rail.

Fili leaped on to Pete’s back. No saddle, no bridle, just him and Pete. He missed working with Pete like this.

Using the pressure from his knees, Fili guided Pete into the yard. He rode the horse in a broad circle to outline a path, and then guided Pete to the middle.

“Whoa.” After Pete stopped, Fili sat on him for a moment, absently running his fingers through Pete’s mane while he decided what he wanted to do. They hadn’t done a lot with non-verbal communication lately. A pat on Pete’s neck, and he was ready to start.

Using body language and pressure from his legs, Fili led Pete into a sidestep. First they went left, then back right to where they began. When they came to a stop, he gave Pete another pat on the neck. A light tug on his mane had Pete going backwards, staying in a straight line and trusting Fili to guide him. They stopped and Fili guided Pete into a walk around the path they had laid out.

After one circle, Fili nudged Pete into a trot, up to a full speed gallop. Fili got a grip on Pete’s mane and leaned back as the horse came to a sliding stop. He urged Pete into a canter and rode a couple of circuits before pushing himself backwards to slide off of Pete’s hindquarters. He landed on his feet, watching as Pete circled around. When the horse went past, Fili caught Pete’s mane and flung himself back up. He kneed Pete back up to a gallop for another sliding stop.

Casting an eye up, Fili decided that was enough for the day. He wanted to get Pete fed and stabled before the rain started. He slid off, clucked his tongue, and led Pete back to the barn. He got the horse into the corral and went to mix up Pete’s dinner. When he came back out he smiled to see Ham trotting up to see what was going on, tail raised straight up.

Ham kept getting in the way while Fili was trying to comb Pete. After nudging the cat with the toe of his boot for the third time he said, “You’ll get dinner in a minute. Let me finish up here first.”

Fili doubted Ham understood him; nevertheless the cat went to sit by the fence. “Maybe we can train you too, cat.”

By the time he was done, a breeze was starting to pick up. He made sure the barn was secure in case the wind got too bad. Everything looked fine, so he headed back to the house, taking the saddlebags with him. He winced when the muscles along his inner thigh gave a twinge. Riding Pete like that bareback was a workout for him too.

He needed to do it more often. Not only so he stayed in shape to be able to do it, but working with Pete always helped to relax him. He felt much better now. The resentment and anger he had been carrying seemed lighter. Not completely gone, no, but less of the emotions to have to try and handle.

Yes, he had changed a lot since finding the Arkenstone. And yes, a lot of that had to do with Kili. It was all stuff he had wanted to try anyway, though, and it wasn’t bad. He might have jumped into this ranch ownership thing a little hastily, but he would do his best to figure things out. He had friends now who might be able to help him. Like Mrs. Woolley and canning vegetables, all he had to do was ask.

Ham watched as Fili rummaged around in the pantry, looking for something to eat. He wasn’t hungry though, so he grabbed a couple of biscuits and gave Ham a slice of his namesake. Fili went out on the porch and left the door open behind him. He sat on the chair out there, watching the storm come in. The clouds were low and heavy, with the occasional flash of lightning. The air smelled of rain and ozone, and he could hear the thunder roll across the plains. It was going to be a nasty storm.

Ham jumped into Fili’s lap and scooted around until he was comfortable. He washed his face while Fili absently petted him. “It looks like it’s going to be a bad night to be outside, Ham.”

They stayed on the porch as the rain started to fall. Fili was glad to be at home with Pete in the barn. They had spent many rainy nights out in the elements, but that didn’t mean he liked it. It was nice to know that Pete was warm and dry and they didn’t have anything to do for the night. He could sit here and watch the rain sheeting off the roof while Ham purred in his lap, safe in his home.

After it grew dark, Fili scooped up Ham and carried him inside, shutting the door behind them. The rain was still pounding on the roof as he got ready for bed. If it was still raining tomorrow, he would skip going to Thorin’s ranch. No one would bring a horse by to be shod in this weather, and he couldn’t work with the gelding. No one would miss him.

Fili slipped under the covers. After he settled, Ham jumped on the bed and arranged himself in his usual spot by the pillows.

“Good night, Ham,” Fili told the kitten, giving it one last caress.

He didn’t know if he was going to the rodeo or not. He didn’t know what he was going to say to Kili. In fact, if he started to think about it, the things he didn’t know greatly outnumbered the things he knew. Regardless, Fili was content. He dozed off with a small smile on his face, still listening to the storm.

 


	36. Look Heart, No Hands

It was three days before Fili went back to the Arkenstone. Rain fell for two days, and it took another day for the roads to be clear enough to travel. When it was dry enough to be able to ride Pete without sinking hip deep into mud, he saddled his horse and went to work.

He still wasn’t sure what to say to Kili, or anyone else for that matter, so he bypassed the main house and went to the corral. After he got Pete unsaddled, he checked to make sure there was fresh water. Once he was satisfied Pete was settled, he headed to the small shed that housed the forge.

A leak had appeared at one spot in the roof, but it wasn’t anything too big yet. Fili marked the spot with a bit of charcoal so he wouldn’t lose it if it dried before he could fix it. He turned his attention to the forge, making sure nothing had happened to it in the few days he was gone. The chimney and forge itself seemed to be in working order, but while it was cold he decided to clean it thoroughly. Once he got everything as clean as possible, he started a wood fire in the forge. He wanted to give it a chance to warm up gradually so it wouldn’t crack due to swift temperature changes.

While the forge was heating up, he swept out his work area and then went to the pump. After filling his bucket with water for quenching, he washed his hands and face. He’d need to wash his clothes once he got home, since he got soot everywhere while he was cleaning.

He was checking the temperature of the forge and adding more wood when Thorin walked up carrying two mugs of coffee. After passing one to Fili he said, “Good morning. I didn’t hear you come up.”

After taking the coffee with a nod of thanks, he said, “Mungo isn’t much of a watch dog.”

“Yeah, but if I tried to get another dog, Bilbo would skin me alive. He thinks it would hurt Mungo’s feelings.” Thorin snorted into his coffee. He swallowed before he asked, “Is everything okay?”

Fili knew Thorin meant personally, but he didn’t know how to answer that so he took the question at face value. “There’s a little leak in the roof, but the forge seems fine.”

Thorin gave him a knowing look. Fili pretended not to see it, instead busying himself with his coffee then giving the fire another prod.

“I can send Kili out to help you patch it, if you like,” Thorin offered.

“I’ve got it, thanks.” Fili set his coffee mug on the workbench and picked up the shovel to toss a bit of coal on the fire.

Thorin sighed and leaned against the bench, giving Fili a searching look. “He probably wouldn’t appreciate me telling you this, but he missed you these past few days.”

Fili didn’t say anything. He set a bucket of pitch next to the forge so it could warm up and soften.

“I know he likes having you around,” Thorin tried again.

“Oh yeah, I can tell by the way he yells at me and thinks I’m an idiot,” Fili snapped. He sighed and rubbed a hand across his face. “Sorry.”

Thorin shrugged. “I’ve heard worse. Kili just worries about you. That’s why he gets upset.”

“I don’t need anyone to worry about me.” Fili pressed his lips together hard before he could say anything else. He was still angry about Kili’s behavior, and this was Kili’s uncle after all. He turned away to check on his tools.

Thorin could tell that Fili was done with this topic, so he said, “Well, anyway, we’ll be seeing you in the house for lunch.” His tone brooked no argument.

Fili nodded and Thorin turned to walk away. Before he got far, Fili called him back. “Nori was telling me about a rodeo coming up, a couple of days ride away.”

Now Thorin looked cautious. “I’ve heard people talking about it.”

“I’m going.”

“What about your house?”

“I’ll make arrangements.” Fili tossed another shovel of coal on the fire. “I’m telling you so you don’t worry if I don’t show up for a week or so.”

“Don’t you think Kili should know?” Thorin raised his hands when Fili frowned at him. “I’m just suggesting you speak with him before you leave.”

Fili sighed and said, “I will.” It wouldn’t be fair for him to just vanish, even if he wasn’t getting along with Kili at the moment.

“Good. See you at lunch.” With a nod, Thorin left him to it.

The pitch was soft enough to work with now. It was hot and still humid even though the sun was shining, so Fili took his shirt off and left it hanging on a hook in the shed. He grabbed the pitch and a brush to spread it with, and climbed on to the shed’s roof. The small hole was easy enough to fix, and he added another layer to areas that looked as if they were getting thin. If he continued to use the forge here, he’d have to give some thought to making a proper building. Thorin would probably help. Then again, maybe he should build a forge on his own property. That way he wouldn’t have to come over here every day. His house was farther from town, but since he was the only farrier around, people would make the trip. They wouldn’t have much of a choice.

He climbed down and put the tar to the side so he’d have it in case of another leak. He didn’t bother putting his shirt back on. No one was scheduled to bring a horse around, so it wasn’t like he had to keep up appearances for customers. He thrust an iron rod into the coals in the forge, leaving it there to test the temperature while he started sorting iron into separate piles to work on. When he pulled the rod back out, it was hardly glowing, so the forge still wasn’t hot enough. He threw some more coal on the fire and gave the bellows a few pumps. A quick stir with the rod, and he left it to continue warming.

He decided to look in on the pregnant mare while he had a chance. He slipped his shirt back on but didn’t bother to button it before heading to the stables. The mare was in her stall, looking over the gate to watch him approach.

“Hey, sweetheart. How are you doing?” Fili murmured. He cracked open the gate and got in the stall with her. She nosed at his hand, and he pushed her away with a smile. “Sorry. I don’t have anything for you today.”

The mare lost interest and turned back to her water trough. Fili ran a hand over her neck, looking at her eyes and coat. Everything looked glossy and healthy, and her size was normal for how far along she was in her pregnancy. Murmuring assurances, he slid his hand down her leg and leaned against her to make her shift her weight. Someone walked up in the stables, but he kept his attention focused on the horse. He checked her hoof, but it didn’t show any signs of the thrush returning. He lowered it back to the ground and told her, “You look fine to me.”

Ori was leaning over the gate and asked, “What about the foal?”

Patting the mare on the shoulder, Fili said, “It’s got a while before we know anything. She looks about the right size for how far along she is, though.”

Ori pulled a carrot out of his pocket. As soon as the mare saw it, she forgot all about Fili, turning to lip eagerly at the treat. Fili was happy to see that Ori didn’t flinch away. He held the carrot out like Fili had shown him so his fingers wouldn’t get nipped, and rubbed the mare’s forehead with his other hand.

Fili edged out of the stall while the mare was still occupied with the carrot. He leaned on the wall and watched Ori before he said, “It looks like you two are getting along better.”

Ori flushed a bright red and admitted, “I’m cheating a little.” At Fili’s inquiring look, he reached in his pocket and pulled out a sugar cube. He gave it to the mare with an embarrassed smile.

Fili patted him on the arm and said, “Whatever works. She’ll learn to associate you with good things and won’t give you such a hard time.” The mare nosed at Ori’s hand, but when he didn’t provide another cube, she turned away. “See? She already trusts you enough that she doesn’t have to keep an eye on you all the time.”

“Really? I thought she was just bored,” Ori said as he eyed the mare.

“Bored is good. Scared or angry is when you have to watch out. Why don’t you come lend me a hand?”

Ori looked surprised but followed Fili out of the stable after a quick stop in the tack room. As they were walking to the paddock, Fili told Ori, “Riding a horse isn’t just the horse doing all the work, even if it looks that way. The rider has to let the horse know what he wants, and has to pay attention. The horse will tell him if something is wrong.”

“How? It isn’t like they can talk,” Ori said.

They reached the paddock and Fili let out a sharp whistle before replying. “They don’t communicate like we do, but they’ll still tell you things. You just have to know how to listen. Riding is a partnership. If you want to train a horse to be like Pete, you’ll have to learn too.”

The buckskin gelding and pinto mare came ambling up, sticking their heads over the fence. Fili said, “See how their ears are up and forward? Their posture’s relaxed but they’re still paying attention? This is their way of asking what we want and why I whistled. Do you have any more sugar?”

Ori dug in his pockets and offered the cubes to Fili. Fili took a couple and gave one to each horse. He shook out the halter he was holding and handed it to Ori. “Put this on the mare.”

“I don’t know how,” Ori said. Looking alarmed, he tried to hand it back to Fili.

“Hold it like this,” Fili said, and spread his hands out.

Ori imitated him, and Fili adjusted the straps and his hands before telling him, “Now just slip it over her head. You’ve seen me do it dozens of times.”

The mare stood still and allowed Ori to put the halter on her and get it buckled up. Ori shot Fili a victorious grin, and took the lead line and clipped it to the halter. Fili opened the gate so Ori could lead the mare out. The gelding tried to follow, but Fili stopped him and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “It’s the lady’s turn, big guy. I’ll get to you later.”

Ori stopped and waited for Fili to catch up before he asked, “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to go make nails. You’re going to work with her.”

“Me?” Ori thrust the lead line towards Fili. “I don’t know what to do!”

“You’ll be fine, Ori,” Fili reassured him. “You’ve seen me work with Pete. Go over verbal commands with her. Walk beside her and tell her what you want her to do. I’ll be at the forge if you need anything.” He gave Ori a pat on the shoulder and headed for the forge.

“Um, walk?” he heard Ori say.

He wasn’t worried about Ori. At least not much. The mare was placid and steady, and they were staying in the yard. Still, accidents happen, so he made sure to stay at an angle where he could watch them while he hammered out nails for shoeing.

Ori started out tentative, but the mare followed along. Soon enough Ori gained confidence and started giving more commands. He was jogging in a circle with the mare trotting beside him when the dinner bell rang.

Fili didn’t realize it was already lunchtime. He was hot and sweaty, and not really hungry. Plus he still had to talk to Kili and the last thing he wanted was to do it at the table with everyone on the ranch in attendance. It was going to be awkward enough since he was still angry and frustrated, and didn’t know how to address all that. He didn’t want to have to do it with an audience to boot.

Ori came jogging up and told the mare, “Whoa.” When she stopped on command, he gave Fili a grin. “Did you see that? She listened!”

Fili couldn’t help but smile in return. “Yep, she did. Here, I’ll take her back to the paddock.”

“I can do it. I’ll let you get washed up,” Ori said.

“You go ahead. I’m skipping lunch today. I need to get caught up on work after all that rain.” He took the lead from Ori.

“Okay. I’ll bring you something out later.” Ori slipped the mare a sugar cube before heading to the bath house.

Fili led the mare to the paddock and took off her halter. As he watched her trot away, he knew it was being cowardly to avoid Kili. Still, as he turned and went back to the forge, he felt like he had dodged a bullet.


	37. Meet in the Middle

Of course, he should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. Fili was in the tack room getting the equipment to work with the gelding when the light dimmed. Fili looked up and saw Kili standing in the doorway. He didn’t say anything, just continued what he was doing.

“You didn’t come in for lunch,” Kili said, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe.

Gathering the bridle on his arm so he didn’t trip over it, Fili slung the saddle on one shoulder and said, “I wasn’t hungry. Excuse me.”

Kili moved just enough to let Fili out the door, but then followed on his heels. He asked, “Are you avoiding me?”

Without stopping, Fili said over his shoulder, “Not intentionally.”

“Are you still upset over the thing with the mare?”

The tone of Kili’s voice made Fili’s temper flare. “Can we not do this now, Kili? I’m trying to work.”

“Then when? You’re always working, Fili.”

Fili whirled to face Kili, dropping the saddle and bridle to the ground. “Fine. You want to do this now? Let’s do it, then. Yes, I’m still upset.”

Kili huffed and rolled his eyes, “I don’t see why –“

“Because you nearly killed yourself,” Fili interrupted. “You nearly killed the mare. It’s only dumb luck neither one of you got hurt.”

Kili stepped up, towering over Fili, and scoffed, “No one would have been hurt. You overreacted! I had everything under control!”

“No you didn’t, Kili. She would never have made that jump. She was blown and overheated.” Fili didn’t raise his voice, but he didn’t try to hide his anger either.

He got a guilty flush, but Kili said, “Well, she seems fine now.”

“She could have foundered. Then instead of selling her to be a pretty lady’s pleasure horse, you’d be selling her to a glue factory. That would have been your fault.”

Kili fell back a pace as if he’d been struck. He lost his belligerent expression, and now looked as if he might cry. He muttered, “I didn’t think –“

“That’s right. You didn’t think. You were reckless not only with your own safety, but with the safety of an animal that was depending on you for guidance. You acted like a raw greenhorn. That horse is a living creature, not a tool. And you used her thoughtlessly and without regard.” Fili knew he was being harsh, but he wanted Kili to learn this lesson. He watched Kili, waiting to see how he’d react.

Kili looked stricken. He opened and closed his mouth several times before whispering, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Do better.” Fili bent and picked up the tack. He went to the paddock, leaving Kili standing there.

Fili was able to get the gelding saddled and mount up without too much trouble. The horse was picking up on his tension, though. Instead of doing the standard exercises he had planned, Fili decided to take the gelding out into the pasture and work with the cows. He wanted the horse to settle down and realize it wasn’t a game.

The horse worked off his high spirits soon enough, and responded just as Fili hoped to both verbal and non-verbal commands. By the time they were ready to head back, Fili decided the gelding needed a name, and was calling him Buck. He was pleased with the progress they were making. Buck would be ready to be sold soon.

When they got back to the ranch, there was a horse tethered to the rail by the forge. Oin, the doctor, was sitting on the porch talking to Thorin and Kili. He waved and stepped down from the porch when he saw Fili.

“I’m glad I caught you,” Oin called. “My Mallie’s thrown a shoe. Could you fix it for me?”

“Sure. Let me get this one taken care of and I’ll get right on it.” Fili dismounted and started to walk Buck to the paddock.

Bofur came out of the barn wiping his hands on a rag. “Here, I’ll take him. You go help Oin.”

With a nod of thanks, Fili handed over the reins and went to the forge. It was still hot enough to work with, so he gave a few pumps of the bellows and then got Mallie tied off where he wanted her.

Oin walked over, followed by Kili and Thorin. He pointed and said, “It’s her left front.”

Fili nodded and lifted the horse’s hoof. It looked like a nail had come loose, causing the shoe to not sit flush against the hoof. He started pulling the other nails out to take off the shoe.

Thorin and Oin were talking behind him, and he paid no attention until Oin said, “I heard Nori say you’re going to that rodeo with him, Fili. Is that right?”

Without looking up, Fili said, “Yep. There’s a couple of events I’m interested in.”

There was a gasp, and Fili looked up in time to see Kili whirl away and stomp off. His heart sank, but he couldn’t drop what he was doing to go after Kili.

Thorin gave Fili a sympathetic look. “I guess you haven’t told him yet?”

“I haven’t had a chance.” Technically that wasn’t true, but it hadn’t seemed wise to blurt it out in the middle of their argument.

“Sorry if I overstepped, “Oin said. He looked chagrined as he watched Kili walk away.

Fili shook his head. “No use crying over spilled milk. I’ll talk to him before I go home.” He stuck a nail in his mouth to use as an excuse for not talking anymore.

The other men took the hint. They chatted about the weather and the recent storm while Fili finished with the mare’s shoe. After Oin paid and went on his way, Fili went in search of Kili.

He found Kili out by the pond, standing at the edge and trying unsuccessfully to skip stones across the surface. Fili stood a few feet away and watched.

Without looking at him, Kili asked, “Were you going to tell me?”

“Yes. I was waiting for the right time.” Fili nodded.

“The right time?” Kili threw another stone. It hit the water with a dull plop.

“Standing in the middle of the yard barking at each other didn’t seem like the right time.” Fili kicked at the ground, looking for a stone of his own.

“I can’t disagree with that.” Kili threw another stone, and there was another plop. He muttered a curse and bent to pick up a few more.

Fili bent and picked up a rock. He inspected it as he said, “But yeah, I’m going with Nori. We’re leaving tomorrow.” The rock was not what he was looking for, so he dropped it and went back to toeing at the ground.

“What about Ham?” Kili threw a stone hard overhand, not even attempting to skip it this time. It made a splash when it hit the water.

“Dori will take care of him.” Fili bent and picked up another stone for a closer look.

Kili’s voice sounded small when he asked, “Are you coming back?”

Fili looked at Kili and said, “Hey.” He waited until Kili looked at him before he said, “I’m coming back. I promise. Okay?”

Still looking uncertain, Kili nodded anyway and said, “Okay.”

Fili gave him a smile and then threw the stone in a sideways toss. The stone skipped across the water four times before going under.

“Jesus wept.” Kili shot him a dirty look. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

That startled a laugh out of Fili. “The list of things I can’t do is infinite.”

“Can you teach me how to skip rocks?” Kili gave him a hopeful smile.

Before Fili could answer, the dinner bell rang out.

When it stopped, Fili said, “I tell you what. I’ll be gone five or six days. A week at the most. When I get back, how about you come over? I’ll make us something to eat and we can ride out to my stock tank. We’ll go swimming and then we’ll see if I can teach you how to skip a stone or not.”

Kili dropped the rocks he was holding and held his hand out to Fili. When Fili took it, he said, “That sounds like a good plan. On one condition, though. Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I’m always careful.” Fili gave Kili a cocky grin.

“I’m serious. Promise me.” Kili stepped closer.

Fili dropped the act and wrapped his free hand around the back of Kili’s neck. “I’ll be careful.”

Kili shook his head. “No, promise me. Say the words.”

“I promise I’ll be careful.” Fili gave Kili a chaste peck and then murmured, “Always.”

“Good. Now let’s go eat. You’re staying for supper.”

Fili didn’t argue. He let Kili pull him along by the hand. Whatever was wrong between them wasn’t completely fixed, but it felt better. It gave him hope that it could be repaired when he got back from the rodeo.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Much thanks to Tokiyoh for the utterly amazing pic!  
> [ **[Fili and Pete]** ](http://tokiyoh.tumblr.com/post/81534185533/cowboy)  
>  Thanks to Cybersuzy for the awesome thing!  
> [ **[Pete, Fili, Kili, and Ori.]** ](http://cybersuzy.tumblr.com/post/82688315365/hey-so-i-know-i-never-post-my-own-art-and-when)  
>  I can't thank them enough for the beautiful art. 
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you all for reading, kudos, and comments!   
> As always, I am over at Tumblr. Feel free to come say hi! 
> 
> [[My personal blog]](http://myseri.tumblr.com/)  
> [[My writing blog]](http://saucywenchwritingblog.tumblr.com/)  
> 

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Pete's Story](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1303819) by [SaucyWench](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaucyWench/pseuds/SaucyWench)




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